Albus's Story
by HappyMollyWeasley
Summary: It started with a crush. That turned into a friendship. That turned into a secret. That now must be kept one.        Albus/Scorpius   Slash    Thank you academica for beta reading and to DarkRose for the summary!
1. Watching

**1 Watching **

'Al! Are you listening to me at all?' James asked. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and had just finished lunch. Albus quickly tried to remember what his brother had just said. Was it something about homework? Hogsmeade? Girls? He really hadn't been listening at all.

'Yeah, I'm listening,' he lied, trying to look casual. He had once again found himself secretly staring over at the Slytherin table. That boy, Scorpius Malfoy, just took his breath away with his beauty. That wasn't something he could possibly tell his older, much cooler brother, though. He tried not to smile when he briefly imagined how flabbergasted James would probably look if he just told him the truth. Well, he surely wasn't going to tell him a word about his secret. Nobody in the world would ever know a thing about that. He had been watching Scorpius since the beginning of sixth year. It was April now, and he had to admit that he had developed somewhat of a crush on him since then.

Albus had always known that he liked boys rather than girls. It wasn't something he had suddenly discovered, but something that always had been a fact, at least since he was old enough to think about it at all. And yet he had no plans to tell anyone about it. And if, he was ever going to tell someone, it certainly wouldn't be James, nor anybody else in his family.

'You're not listening!' James said again, annoyed, and turned to his girlfriend, Jennifer, who was sitting on the other side of him. Jennifer was not really beautiful, but could probably be considered cute, Albus thought, with her blue eyes in a round face surrounded by dark brown curls. She was short and curvy, which made the couple look a bit uneven since James was tall and slim with unruly red hair and glasses. James kissed Jennifer's neck and she made a squealing giggly sound. She playfully slapped James's arm, and then they were kissing as if they were alone and not in the Great Hall at lunch time.

Albus didn't mind being ignored by them, really, so he went back to daydreaming about Scorpius. He imagined how soft Scorpius's hair would feel in his hands if he could touch it, and how it would feel to embrace him. He didn't know him at all; in fact, they had barely spoken to each other, but Albus knew quite a few things about him anyway. He knew that both he and Scorpius had recently turned seventeen. He knew that he was kind and usually quiet, at least in Potions class. He didn't seem like the typical Slytherin at all. He also knew that Scorpius was blonde and had the most wonderful grey eyes Albus ever had seen. He didn't dare look into those incredible eyes, but he couldn't help but notice them, could he? Albus had been told that Scorpius resembled his father a lot, who had been somewhat of an antagonist to his own father.

Albus didn't consider that a problem, however. Scorpius probably wasn't very much like his father; at least it certainly didn't seem so. They were just like Albus and his father. He had been told a million times how strikingly like Harry he was, and he knew for a fact that the comment referred only to their looks. Albus's father was a brave war hero who always did the right thing and was never scared, shy or hesitant. That was how James acted, too, but not Albus. He used to think that he inherited his father's appearances and James got Harry's courage and his popularity, as well as both their parents' Quidditch skills. Albus was more shy and, though he did have a few good friends, he wasn't considered popular among the other students. And really, that suited him just fine. Albus didn't miss all those girls who were trying to catch his brother's attention. His sister Lily, who was fourteen, apparently got her share of that confidence and popularity too. James was a bit worried by this, but Albus didn't really mind. Lily could take care of herself. She was probably the toughest of the Potter children. Lily was a Quidditch Chaser and, with her flaming red hair, some people said that she was a duplicate of their mother.

Quidditch wasn't one of Albus's great interests. He was the only one in his family who didn't play, and who wasn't engaged in those family arguments about what team should win the league or which player really _was_ the best. His Aunt Hermione didn't participate either, but almost everyone else did. Albus had watched an endless amount of Quidditch games in his life. Not only was his mother a professional Quidditch player, but his brother, sister and his cousin Rose all played for Gryffindor. James, Lily and Rose all dreamt of careers as Quidditch players. As a result, Albus knew quite a lot about Quidditch, and of course he came to watch whenever there were Quidditch games at Hogwarts.

There was one Quidditch player in particular that had caught his attention. Scorpius played Seeker for the Slytherin team. Albus found Quidditch surprisingly enjoyable when Scorpius was playing. Unlike in the Great Hall or in Potions, he could easily watch Scorpius during the game without having to hide it. There wasn't anything strange about watching the Seeker during the game, was it?

There had been other boys who he had admired and somewhat fancied during the years, but right now, it was Scorpius and Scorpius alone that caught his eye. None of his previously crushes had known or suspected anything about Albus's feelings, or at least that was what he thought. He was as discreet about it as could be, never having told a living soul about it.

Albus shook his head and returned to reality again. He couldn't allow himself to be too mesmerised by Scorpius here in the Great Hall if he wanted to keep it a secret from his family and friends. He gathered his books and followed his cousin Rose and their friend Michael to Transfiguration class. Michael was one of Albus's closest friends, and he was also Rose's boyfriend. Michael and Rose had been going out since forever, or at least Albus thought so. Albus had gotten quite used to them dating by now, and he didn't usually feel like the third wheel.

'I really hate Transfiguration,' Michael said with a sigh.

'You hate every subject,' Rose answered and teasingly grabbed one of Michael's dreadlocks and pulled lightly on it.

'Ouch!' Michael yelled, a little bit too loudly. 'I like… I like… Well, I don't hate Ancient Runes!'

'Yeah… That's only because you don't take it, isn't it?' Albus grinned. 'Rose is right, you hate about every subject there is, don't you?'

'Shut it! Just because you think studying is the meaning of life…' Michael said and gave Albus's shoulder a punch.

'I don't!' Albus defended himself and punched Michael back.

'You do! Name one subject you don't like, then!' Michael asked, putting his arm around Rose's waist.

'I don't like Ancient Runes. I hate it, as a matter of fact,' Albus said.

'You don't even take Ancient Runes,' Rose said.

'Exactly!' Albus smiled as they had reached the Transfiguration classroom. Michael shrugged and laughed at him, and Rose giggled.

Michael and Albus had become friends when they had started their first year at Hogwarts. They had met each other before once or twice, because Michael's parents were close friends to Albus's Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, but it was when they both were sorted into Gryffindor they really got to know each other. Albus had considered telling Michael that he was gay, but he had decided against it. He didn't really know how Michael would react, and it would be awkward to share a dorm with him if he was disgusted or repulsed by it. Albus had never had romantic feelings towards Michael, but what if he would think so? And if he told Michael, he would perhaps tell Rose, who would tell Lily or James, who might tell his parents…

Besides, Michael and Albus usually didn't speak so openly about feelings. They usually just hung out, casually joking and talking. Sometimes Michael started a conversation about girls, but Albus tried to avoid the subject, referring to the fact that he really didn't want to know any details about Michael's relationship with his cousin.

Michael, Albus and Rose took their usual seats in the Transfiguration classroom, and Albus's thoughts were interrupted as the lesson started.

It was the last Quidditch game of the year and Albus was sitting with his cousins and friends watching Slytherin playing against Hufflepuff. Albus was using the opportunity to watch Scorpius fly. The others were hopefully too occupied discussing the game to notice.

'Albus, what do you think?' Rose suddenly asked.

'Ehm… What?' said Albus, unwillingly taking his eyes off of Scorpius. Apparently Rose had asked him something.

'I said that James is a far more talented Seeker than that Malfoy. Don't you think so too?' Rose said.

'Um… Right,' Albus agreed.

'Listen to that, Roxanne. Even Al knows that I'm a better Seeker than that Slytherin boy. You just think that because you fancy him,' James said. Albus felt his heart skip a beat. How did James know? Was it really that obvious?

'I don't!' Roxanne, one of Albus's younger cousins, said forcefully. 'He's a Slytherin! I just said that he is a good Seeker, that's all.' Albus relaxed and let his breath out. Of course James was talking to Roxanne and not to him. He looked at Scorpius high above again and promised himself that he would be even more discreet from now on, just in case.

'What is it with you Weasleys and Potters and the Slytherins, anyway?' Jennifer asked. 'How come you can't ever say anything nice about someone of that house? They're not all bad, you know.'

'Well, I have certainly never met a decent Slytherin during my seven years here,' James told her in an assured tone. 'Am I right, Albus?'

'Um… Right,' Albus mumbled again.

'But he_ is _good-looking,' Lily said with a wink to Roxanne.

'I would rather die than go out with a Slytherin boy,' Rose said.

'Yeah, me too,' Michael said with a smile and gave Rose a kiss. 'It's good to know that we're on the same page here.' The others laughed at this and Albus tried to join in, but it wasn't easy. If they only knew how much he would love to go out with that Slytherin boy they were discussing…

Then Scorpius ended the game as he caught the Snitch, and their laughter drowned in the noise from the audience.


	2. Talking

**2 Talking**

When Albus was younger Hogsmeade visits had been really important events to him. He remembered the anticipation and waiting until he was old enough to go, and then, during the next years how those few Hogsmeade trips were the highlights of the semesters. He still loved Hogsmeade with its shops and pubs, and it was always nice with a change of view from the castle. But somewhere along the line the Hogsmeade visits had felt more and more ordinary to him. It was the same with Christmas and with his birthday. Sure, he loved Christmas, but it wasn't the same thing to him now as it had been when he was a child. It was part of growing up, he supposed.

There was something else with the Hogsmeade visits too. In the beginning it had been all about buying butterbeer and sweets, but as the years passed the Hogsmeade visits were more and more about dating. As Albus had no interest in dating girls he had never had a date for the Hogsmeade trips, and sometimes that made him feel left out and odd. Now and then he stayed at Hogwarts instead of joining his friends in Hogsmeade. This was one of those occasions. Almost everybody else was in Hogsmeade today, but he didn't feel up to it. It was a sunny day in May, so he went for a short walk by the lake alone.

It was wonderful outside; May in Scotland often is. There were so many shades of green and the lake and the sky were almost unnaturally blue. Albus sat down by the lake. He had brought a book, but didn't read. He let his thoughts wander for a while. It was sometimes frustrating that he hadn't told anyone about his feelings for Scorpius. During this year his feeling had gone from a small crush to something different and stronger. And yet he hardly knew him at all. They had Potions class together, and although Albus tried not to be too obvious when he secretly watched Scorpius, their eyes had met a few times which had caused an embarrassing blush on Albus's cheeks. Potions had always been a subject that Albus liked, but his results this year had been poor. He couldn't concentrate at all when Scorpius was in his class.

Albus closed his eyes for a moment and remembered yesterday's Potions class. He had tried so hard to avoid looking at Scorpius, but the end of the lesson he allowed himself to glance in his direction. He was very surprised to discover that Scorpius, as a matter of fact, was watching him too. Their eyes met for a brief moment and before Albus quickly turned his eyes down, he glimpsed a smile from Scorpius. When he dared to look up again Scorpius was still looking at him and smiled at him again.

Until that moment Albus had been convinced that he would secretly fancy Scorpius forever without any chance to actually get to know him. He understood that the chances that Scorpius was interested in him were quite slim. Even if Albus hadn't actually seen him with a girl or heard any gossip about him dating anybody he couldn't just assume that Scorpius was gay too. But the events of yesterday had certainly gotten his mind rushing. Was he imagining things or had Scorpius really been flirting with him when he looked at him like that? It couldn't be, or could it? He wished he had someone to talk to about this, but who would it be?

Sometimes he thought that Rose might suspect something. She was remarkably clever and was also very perceptive. Albus hoped that she had been concentrating on the potion she was working on together with Michael instead of noticing the flirting that had been going on between Albus and Scorpius yesterday. Well, if it was flirting… How could one know really? Scorpius had probably just wanted to be friendly when he smiled to him.

Albus longed for someone to talk to about this, but he didn't dare to tell anyone. Sometimes he felt so odd and so alone… He suddenly felt that he needed some time with his friends after all, even if he couldn't talk to them about what was on his mind. They were probably still in Hogsmeade. If he hurried up he could probably join them after all. He headed up to his dormitory to change, and then then started to walk towards the village. He enjoyed the walk in the warm sunshine. The warm spring breeze and the walk seemed to clear his mind too, and he forgot about his worries for a while.

He guessed that he would find his friends in the Three Broomsticks, but he couldn't resist a quick stop at the Honeydukes first. It was crowded, as usual, and as he crisscrossed through the store he suddenly bumped into Scorpius. Albus blushed and tried to say something, but couldn't find his voice.

'Hello Albus!' Scorpius said and smiled. He held a package of Chocolate Frogs in his hand.

'H-hello,' Albus stammered. He felt a bit dizzy and his heart was beating madly. This was the first time he actually talked to Scorpius and he was anxious to keep the conversation going. 'So you like Chocolate Frogs?' he continued.

'Yeah, most people do, don't you think?' Scorpius said and Albus felt himself blush even more. What a stupid thing to ask...

'I was just thinking that I'd like a butterbeer. Do you want to join me?' Scorpius asked.

'Yeah, ok,' Albus said. He couldn't believe his luck. Was this really happening?

Albus was extremely aware of himself, and of the attractive boy who was so close, as they went through Hogsmeade. He found it hard to speak, and was pleased that he didn't need to say very much since Scorpius chatted continuously. Albus thought that they were heading to the Three Broomsticks, but didn't argue when Scorpius took him to the Hog's Head instead. That was probably for the better anyway since he kind of wanted to keep this new friendship a secret from his nosy family and friends.

They sat down at a table near the window with their butterbeers. Although Scorpius was the one who did most of the talking, Albus soon relaxed a bit and found it easier to speak. He found out that Scorpius was, in fact, very easy to talk to.

'Ugh… Ginger in butterbeer?' Scorpius said and made a face towards Albus's drink. 'How can you drink it like that?'

'What? It's how it's supposed to be!' Albus defensively said. 'It doesn't taste like anything without the ginger…'

'Yeah, like mint in cauldron cakes or like cinnamon on tuna,' Scorpius teasingly said with the most captivating smile Albus had seen. He couldn't come up with anything to say, he just had to smile back and try not to lose himself into the other boy's eyes. Why was he so damn gorgeous?

'I wonder what my father would say if he knew that I'm sitting here with you,' Scorpius said. 'I mean, our fathers don't exactly adore each other…'

'I can see what you mean,' Albus agreed. 'It would be a laugh, though, if I sent him an owl telling him that I've made friends with the son of Draco Malfoy. But it would probably annoy my Uncle Ron even worse. I mean, I know that our fathers meet once in a while at work and they can probably get along when they need to, but my uncle is a bit stubborn… No offense!'

'Don't worry,' Scorpius said and laughed. 'But we're not our fathers, right? And those things that happened long before we were born don't need to matter now,' he continued in a more serious voice.

'I agree,' Albus said and found himself once again awestruck by Scorpius's amazing smile. He wished that he wasn't so inexperienced that he couldn't tell if Scorpius was flirting with him or not. If he was, it was indeed successful, because Albus felt dazed whenever Scorpius smiled to him.

Scorpius and Albus sat at the Hog's Head all afternoon. Albus couldn't remember afterwards what they really had been talking about, and yet they had talked for hours. Sometimes when you finally get to know a person you have admired from a distance, you will be disappointed. This was not one of those times. It was the other way around. The real Scorpius was even better than Albus ever imagined.

After that extraordinary afternoon with Scorpius, things pretty much got back to usual. Albus silently watched Scorpius during mealtimes and in class. He said hello to Scorpius in his most neutral voice. He tried his best to not show anything of his true feelings, not to Scorpius and not to his friends.

During the last weeks before summer break Scorpius and Albus met a few times in the library to study together. Albus had tried to convince himself that Scorpius hadn't in fact been flirting after all. It had just been friendly smiles and a friendly conversation. If they were going to become friends he wouldn't risk scaring Scorpius away by acting weird. Scorpius would probably run as far as he could if he got to know about Albus's crush on him. He was aching for Scorpius on the inside, but he couldn't let him know by showing it on the outside.

Albus tried hard to concentrate on his Potions revision, but it was hard when Scorpius sat next to him. Albus was usually quite studious, but he had a feeling that his exams in Potions wouldn't be too good. But he was certain right now that it was worth it when he got to sit next to Scorpius.

'If only those exams were over,' Scorpius complained.

'I know. It feels like I haven't done anything but study all spring,' Albus agreed.

'Hmm… I can't really say I have been revising all spring,' Scorpius admitted. 'But for several days!'

'You can't expect good grades if you only study for a few days, you know.'

'Stop it, you sound like my father,' Scorpius said and punched Albus on the shoulder. 'He's always nagging me about my grades… Besides, I hadn't got time for revision because of Quidditch training and all.'

'Quidditch…' Albus said. 'I can't really understand why everyone is so absorbed by Quidditch.'

James passed by them with a large pile of books in his arms. He cast Albus a questioning look, clearly surprised to see Albus together with Scorpius Malfoy.

'No, you are a bit thick when it comes to Quidditch, dear brother,' James said when he walked by. 'It's odd really, considering that Quidditch is like the Elixir of Life. You do miss out a lot when you don't take an interest in Quidditch.'

'He's got a point there,' Scorpius said to Albus when James left. 'Your brother is pretty talented, too.'

'Don't tell him that. He's already all too smug about the scouts who have been at his games during the spring. I can't stand him sometimes.'

'You're jealous, then?' Scorpius asked.

'No!' Albus said a bit too forcefully.

'I would be jealous if it was my brother who was likely to play professional Quidditch,' Scorpius said. 'Not that I have a brother anyway, nor do I have any sisters. I don't even have any first cousins.'

'Do you miss it?' Albus asked. 'I mean, I can't even imagine how it would be. I've got like a dozen of first cousins… Nine if I counted right.'

'Yeah, all the Gryffindors are Weasleys, that's hardly news… No, I don't miss siblings and cousins at all,' Scorpius said. Although he said it in a mocking tone Albus could tell by his smile that he didn't meant to offend him. Albus felt week from that smile and busied himself with his Potions notes again. How could he possibly concentrate when his heart was rushing like this?


	3. Dreaming

**3 Dreaming**

And then finally all the exams were over and it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer. Albus sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, together with Rose and her younger brother Hugo, Roxanne, Michael and Lily. They were idly talking about their plans for the summer when Scorpius passed by in the passageway outside the compartment. Albus immediately felt his heart flutter at the sight of him. Both Roxanne and Lily had clearly noticed Scorpius too, because Lily whispered something in Roxanne's ear, and Roxanne giggled.

'I'm going to find the trolley,' Lily said with a wink to Roxanne. 'Are you coming?'

Both girls quickly disappeared in the same direction as Scorpius. Albus wanted to follow them, but stayed seated. He bent down and took out a book from his bag and pretended to read, trying to act casual, but he found it hard not to glare at his sister and cousin when they came back loaded with chocolate and sweets. He wondered if they had found Scorpius? Had he noticed them? He looked at Roxanne, trying to interpret her expression as she was giggling with Lily while unwrapping Chocolate Frogs. Albus looked at Roxanne with her shiny black hair falling down her shoulders and her slim figure. What chance did he have against that? He knew that quite a lot of Hogwarts boys fancied Roxanne.

Albus excused himself and walked towards the lavatory. He needed some space from his cousins and friends. Roxanne's crush on Scorpius was bothering him more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. It was hard enough to be secretly lusting for Scorpius as it was, but Roxanne's obvious infatuation wasn't making it any easier. And what if Scorpius liked Roxanne back? Albus felt sick at the thought.

He leant back to the wall and closed his eyes for a second. He just had to calm down and go back to the others. Albus splashed some water on his face and opened the door.

'Hello Al!'

Albus was startled to find Scorpius outside the lavatory and he felt the familiar fluttering start again.

'Hi!' he said, trying not to blush. 'Um… What are you going to do during the summer?'

'Oh, I'll be at home most of the time… We're going to Italy for a few weeks too. How about you?'

'Yeah, the same… Well not Italy… I mean, I'll be at home,' Albus stuttered. Scorpius probably thought that he was an idiot anyway.

'Ok… So, we're nearly in London now,' Scorpius said.

'Yeah…' Albus said. 'I'd better get back to my compartment before we arrive at King's Cross.'

'Have a nice summer,' Scorpius said. His grey eyes were looking right into Albus's, making Albus feel weak and dizzy.

'Um… You too,' he said and turned away to find his compartment again.

It was always good to be home again after the school year away. This was his very last summer break. Albus would graduate next year, just like James had this year. Even if he was of age now and hardly a child anymore, Albus enjoyed being at home with his parents. He felt so secure here, so relaxed. The Potter family did all the things they usually did during summer. They went swimming during the days, played Exploding Snap in the evenings and sometimes the Weasley cousins gathered for a Quidditch game. It was comforting to spend time with just the family, and relaxing because of the lack of homework. De-gnoming the garden and peeling vegetables were easy chores in comparison, especially now, when Albus was legally allowed to use magic.

Spending time at home also meant teasing and bickering with James and Lily. Although the Potter children usually got along quite well, Albus found it annoying to spend so much time with his siblings. James was always teasing him about one thing or another. During this summer, much of James's teasing was about girls. He was always asking Albus about different girls from school. Albus didn't really know how to handle this. He tried his best to act like it was no big deal for him, and even pretended to like some of the girls James suggested. Albus had even said that he would ask Sarah Finnegan out, just to please James. Lily, on the other hand, was giggling about 'cute boys' all the time and Albus had heard her mention Scorpius once. She wasn't any easier to be around than James was.

Jennifer came to visit James for a week and Lily had some friends over a few times. Albus didn't invite any of his friends over this summer. He knew who he would like to invite, but that was out of the question. He did see Michael a few times when he was over to see Rose and Hugo, and he went to the beach with his cousins whenever the weather was warm enough. Sometimes they went to a muggle beach, but usually they visited a wizard beach. They conjured the sunbeds, parasols or windshields depending on what weather it was.

It was one of those rare summer days when it is not too hot and not too cold, and they spent the day at their favourite spot on the wizard beach. Lily, Roxanne and Jennifer were reading Witch Weekly with their heads close together and Hugo was reading a book the size of a brick. Nobody who knew his mother would be surprised by his intelligence and ambition. Hugo was the only of the cousins who wasn't a Gryffindor but a Ravenclaw. Rose looked half asleep in the shadow of a parasol. Her usually pale skin had got a red tone that matched her bushy red hair. Michael, a shade darker than usual, lay beside her and with his arm possessive around her.

Albus was swimming in the lake together with James and their cousin Fred. Fred was Roxanne's older brother, and despite the differences in their appearances, were very much alike James. He was a year older than James, two years older than Albus. Fred was dark, with black hair and brown eyes and quite tall. James and Fred had been best friends since they were toddlers. Both of them liked a good joke, and they could easily drive anyone crazy with their pranks. Fred's and Roxanne's father, Uncle George, had been quite a prankster when he was young, and it was often said how much James and Fred resembled Uncle George and his twin brother, who had died in the war.

Albus loved swimming. He sometimes felt that he should have been a fish or maybe a dolphin… He guessed that the feeling he got from swimming was similar to how Lily and James described flying. It was easy and natural, he didn't have to think about it, only move through the water as if he was part of it. Albus swam far out in the lake and back while James and Fred stayed closer to the beach there they had some kind of water fight going on. All three of them then got up together and went to join the others at the beach.

James couldn't resist dripping cold water on Jennifer's back, which made her squeal. Then he had to kiss her to make up for it, and Albus turned away his gaze. Sometimes it bothered him to watch happy couples, especially James and Jennifer. It was strange that Rose's and Michael's love wasn't bothering him at all. Maybe it was because Albus always had looked up to his brother. James seemed to have everything Albus lacked; confidence, popularity and love. He had always been faster, stronger and more daring than Albus, and since James was only 18 months older than him Albus had compared himself against James. Sure, Albus had higher grades and was a faster swimmer than James, but that wasn't skills that counted. And now James had a girlfriend whom he seemed to care for and love a lot, and Albus felt jealous. It wasn't an option for him to get involved with someone.

Fred nudged Albus's shoulder and pointed at a tall blonde girl who was passing them on her way down to the water. Her hair looked soft and reached almost to the curve of her hips.

'Look at her!' Fred said with a low whistle. Albus could see that she was beautiful, but her appearances didn't give him a lurch in the stomach like the sight of a pair of muscular male arms or broad shoulders would have done to him. He could follow Fred's eyes to her bum in tiny blue bikini pants, but he couldn't really see what his cousin appreciated about that.

'Yeah,' he said, and hoped that he was imitating that awestruck voice guys usually had then they admired a good-looking girl. Hugo was looking up from his book to watch the girl too and grinned. She was apparently stunning enough for James to tear his eyes from Jennifer long enough for her to slap him mildly on the cheek.

'Who would like an ice-cream?' Albus asked, much to avoid the subject of girls. The past years had given him lots of opportunities to practise his skill of avoiding that subject.

The lazy summer days passed by one by one, and Albus tried to enjoy his summer holidays. He didn't feel completely at ease, though. His mind wandered to Scorpius all the time. There wasn't a day that went by without Albus thinking about him. He missed him, and sometimes he wanted to write to him, but he thought that it would be awkward. They had only been friends for a few weeks, and he didn't know what to write anyway. Seeing how hard it often was for Albus to find his words whenever Scorpius was around, it was quite possible that Scorpius already thought that he was a bit odd. If he added an awkward letter too, Scorpius would probably start to avoid him.

He was dreaming about Scorpius too, and it was the kind of dreams that made him grateful that he didn't share a bedroom with anyone when he was at home. As much as he usually enjoyed those pleasing dreams, he occasionally woke up afterwards and cried. Because no matter how delightful the dream had been, it could only stay a dream. Albus felt so alone, and there was no way he could ever be together with Scorpius in real life. What had made him fall for a gorgeous Quidditch player who already had plenty of admiring girls waiting, anyway? In some ways, it was really so much harder to handle his feelings for Scorpius now, when they were friends, than it had been when he just admired Scorpius from a distance.

Sometimes he felt like telling his mother about Scorpius. But what was he going to tell her, really? Should he just tell her that he had a new friend? Or that Draco Malfoy's son was a really decent kid, despite his father? Or should he admit to his mother that he was arse over elbows with Scorpius? He didn't think of telling his father though. Dad wouldn't understand this at all. Apart from the fact that his father didn't like the Malfoy family and the Slytherins, which Albus thought was a huge issue on its own, Albus had no idea how his father would handle the fact that he was gay. Homosexuality was not a subject that had been discussed very much in his family at all. Albus had a feeling that both his father and his brother would have prejudicial opinions, even if he didn't know it for sure. He had a good idea of how Uncle Ron would react, though, and that scared him off enough. He had once heard his uncles joking about gays, and he clearly remembered that Uncle Ron had said something about how he was disgusted by the thought of it. Albus remembered how humiliated he had felt without showing. Maybe it was then he had decided to keep his secret forever. He certainly didn't want to disgust his family.

All in all it was a good summer, but Albus couldn't enjoy it. His secret was eating him, and there was no way out.


	4. Struggling

**4 Struggling**

The Potters usually held a large family party on Harry's birthday. Most of the Weasley cousins, uncles and aunts were there, as well as Albus's grandparents. Teddy and Victoire were missing, because they had just moved to France. Albus missed them already. He thought that if Teddy had been there, he probably would have told him about Scorpius. Teddy was like a big brother to him, and better yet, he was much less annoying than James. Albus had always been able to talk to Teddy about feelings. Teddy knew things about him that he never would share with James or Michael or Rose. But now that Teddy was living abroad, Albus missed talking to him. He could, of course, write to him, but it seemed even more difficult to put his worries and feelings into a letter.

The birthday party started with a loud and cheerful homemade dinner. Grandma Molly had been over all day to help with the preparations. They charmed the table to make it big enough for all of the family members. The teenagers sat together on one end of the table. Albus had quite a lot of cousins, both older and younger than himself. James's girlfriend Jennifer was there too, and the young lovers were stealing kisses from each other, so obviously in love that the aunts were nudging each other and sharing amused looks.

James had recently been offered the Seeker position for Puddlemere United, and he was talking to the others about this and Quidditch in general. Albus was, of course, happy for his brother, but he was a bit tired of hearing about it all the time. Mum and Dad were as proud of their eldest son as parents could ever be. Albus knew that he would never have the slightest chance to ever make them as proud of him as they were of James in this moment.

'I wonder who will be Captain of Gryffindor next year now that Jamie has graduated?' Roxanne said, her mouth full of grilled chicken. 'Besides, who's going to play Seeker?'

'I am, hopefully,' Lily said confidently. 'I'm better as a Seeker than as a Chaser anyway.'

'Speaking of Seekers, that Slytherin Seeker is really cute,' Roxanne said. Albus tried not to flinch when Scorpius was mentioned.

'Really? Are you serious?' their younger cousin Lucy squealed. 'He's a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake. Haven't you been listening at all to the way the family talks about them?'

'I just said that he's good-looking, that's all,' Roxanne said.

'Well, he probably isn't interested in you anyway, my dear little sister,' Roxanne's brother Fred told her with a smirk.

'How would you know?' Roxanne asked.

'I don't see how you could be, um, his type, that's all,' Fred said, and rolled his brown eyes.

'Why?' Roxanne demanded, but Fred just shrugged and suggested that they all go outside for a Quidditch game. Most of the cousins, uncles and aunts were keen on this idea, and they disappeared.

Albus stayed inside with his older cousin Dominique, his Aunt Hermione, Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, Aunt Fleur and his grandparents. They cleaned up quickly after the dinner, and Albus, who had recently turned seventeen, was happy that he didn't have to do household chores without magic anymore. Aunt Audrey and Aunt Fleur stayed in the kitchen to prepare the enormous cake, and the others sat down in the living room.

'Just one more year at Hogwarts for you now,' Dominique said to Albus. 'What do you want to do once you have graduated? I'm guessing that you don't want to become a Quidditch player like most of our cousins.'

'He's going to become a Healer,' Grandma Molly said proudly. 'I am really pleased that at least one of my grandchildren thinks about more than Quidditch.'

'You're just going to flirt with the pretty nurses, admit it!' Dominique teased. She could really be as annoying as James sometimes.

'I'm not!' Albus said. 'I want to help people.'

'Sure,' Dominique smirked, winking at Grandma Molly and Aunt Hermione. Grandma Molly smiled at Albus, and he felt himself blush. Aunt Hermione gave him an odd look, though he could not tell if it was meant to be quizzical or suggestive of concern.

'Don't mind them, Al,' Grandpa Arthur said. 'I've found the strangest of Muggle devices… Would you like to have a look? I brought it today so you could help me to figure it out.' Albus was relieved to have an excuse to end the awkward discussion with Dominique, and he turned to exanimate the odd gadget Grandpa Arthur had brought. He couldn't tell what it was, but Aunt Hermione recognized it immediately.

'It's an ice pack,' she said. 'It's used to keep food or medicine cold.'

'Oh! It's like a cooling charm, then!' Grandpa Arthur exclaimed in the awestruck tone he always used when he was talking about Muggles. 'They are really clever, those Muggles! An ice pack, indeed!'

Albus felt like the odd one out in the family. He didn't like Quidditch, he didn't like girls and he couldn't talk to anyone about his feelings for Scorpius. When all the guests finally had left and the Potter family was going to bed, he didn't want to go to sleep. He stayed in the living room, pretending to read. He sighed loudly when he thought he finally was alone, but he was surprised to find suddenly that his mother still was there.

'What's wrong?' she asked, coming to sit down next to him. 'You seem so distant, almost unhappy.'

'It's nothing,' Albus said with a shrug. 'I'm just tired.'

'Al, please… I know it's something. Are you worried about something? Have you got girl problems?'

'No!' Albus yelled. 'I've no girl, I've no girl problems, I've no Quidditch skills and that's it.' He hadn't meant to say that, and he hadn't meant to yell at his mother.

'Oh, Albus… My poor Albus,' his mum said and put her arms around him. 'Are you jealous of Jamie?'

'Um… No… Well, maybe, yes… I don't know really. I don't want to be a Quidditch player, and I am certainly not jealous of him having a girlfriend. But …'

'But?'

'It's like it's always so easy for James, and not for me. He is so much like Dad, you know, popular and all that. Everyone loves him, and you are so proud of him. I'm just Al,' he said.

His mum was quiet for a minute, just stroking his hair. Then, she began to speak again.

'I understand that sometimes it can be hard to have a popular older brother,' she said. 'You could ask Uncle Ron about that. He had five older brothers, and they had all been either prefects or Quidditch players before him… It was maybe a bit easier for me. I didn't compare myself to them as much as he did, because I was the only girl. But Albus, you should know that it is really you who are most like Dad, not James. It's not only how similar you look, but you are so much like him in other ways too. You are both sensitive, and you consider things and think things through before you act. Dad was not very popular in school, not all of the time anyway, and he was a bit awkward around girls… I think James is like George, or even more like Fred, but if you ask me, he isn't very much like Harry.'

She smiled at him and continued: 'Albus, just promise me that you will never think that we don't love you as much as your brother. We love you just as much, and we are just as proud of you.'

Albus couldn't find his voice to answer his mother, so he just snuggled closer to her and relaxed a bit. He thought about telling her about Scorpius, too, but he decided against it. What if she would be really disappointed in him? He would rather stay like this, in his loving mother's safe arms, than risk everything by telling the truth about his feelings. Mum was understanding and loving, but he didn't want to push it too far. And what was there to tell, really? Nothing had happened between him and Scorpius, and nothing was ever going to happen between them.


	5. Flirting

The summer came to an end, just as quickly as summers always do. The Potters were at the King's Cross and it was time for Albus to say good-bye to James and to his Mum and Dad. Albus was looking around at the crowded platform, hoping for a first glimpse of Scorpius. His heart almost missed a beat when he spotted Scorpius's blonde hair in the crowd. Albus quickly gave his parents a last hug and made his way towards Scorpius. It was like he couldn't help himself now that he finally had Scorpius in sight after all the weeks of dreaming and longing.

'Hi Scorpius!' he called when he thought he was close enough.

'How has your summer been?' Scorpius said and smiled to him. He was more breath-taking than ever.

'Um… Good,' Albus managed to say. He was mesmerised by those marvellous eyes, Scorpius's hair, which had become even blonder during the summer, and his tanned skin. Albus could sense a hint of Scorpius's after shave or shampoo or whatever that was, and he felt his heart beat and his face to go red. He wanted to say something more, but was afraid that his voice wouldn't work. Scorpius was silent too, and he was looking at him. Albus felt his heart race as they silently looked into each other's eyes. He didn't know if it was just for a few seconds or for several minutes. It was like both time and their surroundings didn't exist. And then he was thrown back into reality again as Michael waved and called his name. Albus smiled to Scorpius and reluctantly went to greet Michael and Rose instead.

Albus sat together with Michael, Rose, Hugo and Lily on the train. They chatted about the summer and about their expectations for their final year at Hogwarts.

'I can't believe summer is over!' Michael moped.

'Me either,' Albus sighed and leaned back in his seat by the window.

'I agree… But on the other hand, I can't wait to start working on my Quidditch team,' Rose said.

'I bet you'll be the best captain Gryffindor ever had, love,' Michael said and leaned in to kiss her.

'Yeah, we'll have a great team this year, and we're going to win the Cup too. I'm going to miss James as a Seeker, but I think Lily will be just as good.'

'Oh! I'm a better Seeker than James is!' Lily confidently said. Humbleness wasn't her greatest gift.

'I'll be a bit empty without James over all,' Albus admitted. 'I mean, he is a pain sometimes, but he has always been there during all our time at Hogwarts.'

'Yes,' Rose agreed. 'We are the oldest and wisest now. And I bet this year will be our best one.'

'And the toughest… With our N.E.W.T's and all,' Albus complained.

'Like if you would ever fail…' Michael laughed. 'You probably studied all summer!'

'I didn't. Hugo did, though,' Albus said and nudged Hugo who looked up from his book. 'Didn't you study all summer?'

'Yeah? Of course I did! This is my OWL year, mind you!' Hugo said as if it was obvious that everyone studied all summer before their fifth year.

The first week was really busy. They had lots of homework and Albus spent most evenings studying. Hogwarts was its usual self, and although Albus missed being at home, it was always great to be back with his friends again. And then there was Scorpius. Seeing Scorpius again made Albus aware of just how much he longed to be with him. During the summer Scorpius had just been a dream, someone to dream of and fantasize about. Now, back at Hogwarts, Scorpius was a real, wonderful, living person and Albus was aching to be near him. Although he had spent most of his summer thinking about the boy, he hadn't been prepared of his own reactions of seeing Scorpius on the platform. How could one person possibly have that kind of impact on him? Even if it was Scorpius?

Albus had always been certain before that he would hide his feelings forever, but he knew now that he probably wouldn't manage to keep it a secret forever even if he wanted to. He had no plans to come out of the closet, but somewhere deep inside him he knew that he wouldn't be able to live all his life like this. Sooner or later someone was bound to find out, and the thought of it terrified him.

One of the good things about being back at Hogwarts was to have the lake so close. The water in the lake was still warm enough for him, and he usually swam before breakfast a few times a week during spring and autumn. The water wouldn't be too cold to him until October or November. He didn't mind the dark, almost black water, but happily swam for at least half an hour. Swimming cleared his mind and made him feel more alive than anything else.

Albus got up from the water after his morning swim a quite chilly morning during the first week. As he quickly changed into his school robes and bent down to tie his shoes he heard someone call his name and looked up to find Scorpius waving to him. He had his broom in his hand and his hair looked messy, perhaps from flying, Albus thought.

'Hey there!' Scorpius said. Albus felt somewhat uneasy. For how long had Scorpius been standing there?

'Hi!' Albus said while drying his still dripping hair with a quick wand movement.

'I take it you're quite a good swimmer?' Scorpius commented.

'I guess I'm okay…' Albus modestly said and felt his cheeks blush as he realized that Scorpius must have been watching him swim as well as seen when he dressed.

'You looked really good to me,' Scorpius said, and Albus knew that he must have noticed that he was blushing even harder now. What did Scorpius mean by that, anyway?

'Have you been flying?' Albus said, though it was obvious.

'Yeah. Sometimes I have a feeling that I need to go flying, just to clear my head or something. I don't usually wake up this early, but I couldn't sleep, so I pictured that I could just as well go flying instead.'

'Did it work?' Albus asked. 'Did it clear your head?'

'I think so… Yeah, I guessed it worked,' Scorpius said, and Albus was surprised to notice that Scorpius seemed to blush a little too. But it was probably from the chilly wind.

'That's why I swim, mostly. Too clear my head. And to relax, I guess.'

'Maybe swimming and flying is more similar than one would think?' Scorpius said as they started to walk back to the castle. 'Come on, let's hurry up, I don't want to miss breakfast!'

Both Albus and Scorpius had Potions this year too. Albus arrived early to the first Potions lesson of the year. The classroom was almost empty, and Albus chose a desk and sat down.

'Can I sit with you?' someone asked and sat down beside Albus without waiting for an answer. He would recognise that voice anywhere. Albus smiled to Scorpius and moved his books over to make room for him. They sat silently for a while. Albus felt very aware of himself, and desperately tried to find something clever to say.

'I wanted to write to you, you know,' Scorpius quietly said after a few minutes.

'You did?' Albus said bewildered. 'Why didn't you then?'

'I tried, but I'm no good with writing. And I felt a bit embarrassed. We usually don't write to each other, do we? Maybe you would think I was nuts?'

'What? Of course I wouldn't! I would have loved to get a letter from you,' Albus said sincerely. He was amazed by his own open-hearted words. This conversation certainly made him think that Scorpius might be interested in him as well. He watched Scorpius's face as he talked, he saw his lips move. He imagined how those lips would feel against his own. What if he could just lean in and…

And then the other students arrived and Albus busied himself with something in his bag. Rose and Michael sat down across the classroom, and Albus tried to ignore their puzzled looks then they saw him sitting with Scorpius.

If Albus had found it hard to concentrate when watching Scorpius during Potions last year, it was nothing compared to this. His hands were trembling when he cut and powdered the ingredients for the potion they were making. Albus, who always had wanted to become a Healer, knew that he needed an O in Potions, but right now he didn't care at all. It was more important to sit next to Scorpius and to be able to be dazzled by his scent and by the chance that their fingers would accidently brush against each other when they worked. And their hands did accidently touch. Quite often, as a matter of fact.

Albus, Lily, Michael and Rose played a game of Exploding Snap in the Common Room that evening. Rose and Lily were both very competitive, and neither of them could even play Exploding Snap without trying their very best to win. Both Michael and Albus had a far more relaxed view of the game. It was more of a pastime for them, not a competition. Albus couldn't help smiling when he saw how much alike Rose and Lily were with their red hair and their frowns of concentration. Rose won the first round, and Lily immediately wanted a rematch.

One of Rose's friends, Sarah Finnegan, plopped down in a chair beside Albus. Lily discreetly nudged Albus's side and gave him a knowingly look while she shuffled the cards. Albus didn't get it at first, but then remembered that Lily had heard when he said to James that he would ask Sarah out. Lily probably thought that he had a thing for Sarah… Merlin, did he have to fake a crush on her now, on top of everything else?

They played a few more rounds together, but it was getting late, and soon all of them went up to their respectively dormitories. Albus and Michael were talking as they were climbing the stairs.

'So… How do you like Sarah?' Michael curiously asked.

'What?' Albus said. Why did everyone seem to think that he liked Sarah? 'She's all right, I guess…'

'Okay… Just all right?' Michael teased. 'I bet she likes you, Al.'

Sarah was a nice girl, with brown hair and blue eyes, but naturally Albus never had thought much about her. She seemed to be interested in him, though, or at least she was constantly giggling when he said something and she had put her hand on his arm and looked into his eyes a few times while they were playing Exploding Snap.

'Yeah, maybe…' Albus said. 'I'm going to bed now, I'm a bit tired. Although I really should stay up and to that Potions homework…'

'What was that during Potions, anyway?' Michael asked Albus while they were changing into their pyjamas.

'What do you mean?' Albus tried in an innocent voice even though he knew exactly what Michael was asking.

'Why were you sitting with Malfoy? I didn't even know that you knew him.'

'Um… Didn't you?' Albus nervously said.

'No. I didn't think you liked any Slytherins… I guess he's cool then.'

'I guess,' Albus said. He climbed into his bed, took out his book and pretended to read.

The days flew by, and it was already Saturday. Most of the Gryffindors were at the Quidditch pitch for the try-outs. Rose was the Captain of the team this year. Albus sat alone in the library trying to work on his Transfiguration essay. He had a headache and felt worn-out. He had stayed up late last night trying to catch up with his school work. This year would probably be the most challenging ever. It didn't help a bit that his mind often wandered away either. He found himself daydreaming instead of working all too often. His friends and Rose noticed that too, but he tried to hide it from them.

Albus rested his head in his hands for a minute, trying to concentrate. When he looked up again he saw Scorpius in the middle of a group of Slytherin boys and girls sitting at a round table across the room. That was hardly what he needed right now if he wanted to finish his Transfiguration essay… But, Merlin, how attractive Scorpius really was. Albus felt a pang of jealousy as he saw a dark-haired girl putting her hand on Scorpius's arm. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't force his eyes to stop looking at them. Scorpius turned his head and met Albus's eyes. Albus felt a bit embarrassed to have been caught staring. Scorpius smiled and winked at him, and Albus smiled back and then pretended to write on his parchment. His cheeks burned and his heart hammered. It was impossible to write anything now. He didn't want to leave either, so he continued to fake studying while he glanced over at Scorpius as often as he dared to.

Albus didn't know for how long he sat like that, but after a while, maybe half an hour, Scorpius and his friends gathered their things and headed out. Albus forced himself looked down on his parchment and tried to look concentrated as they passed him. He was greatly surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Will you join us for lunch?' Scorpius asked. 'It's probably almost over by now, so we'd better hurry up.'

'Oh! Yes, sure…' Albus said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. 'I didn't realise it's so late…'

Scorpius dragged Albus along to his group of friends, and Albus felt his shoulder tingling from the previous touch of Scorpius's hand. Sure, it was only a friendly touch on the shoulder, but it had made his knees go weak. Albus felt warm inside, and he was trying very hard to act casual together with the friends of Scorpius.

During all his years at Hogwarts Albus had never sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. He had had the occasional meal at the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff table, but he had never eaten with the Slytherins. He looked out over the almost empty Great Hall, and thought about how different it looked from this perspective. Or maybe it was his company that made him think that everything was different today?

Albus felt awfully aware of himself, and he tried to join the conversation. He had never been friends with someone from Slytherin before, but was surprised to find them rather nice and agreeable. Albus sat opposite Scorpius, and when Scorpius stretched his long legs out his foot touched Albus's under the table. Neither of them moved, so their shoes were touching, and even though there were both shoes and socks as a barrier, Albus felt his foot begin to burn at the touch. How could he be this affected by Scorpius?

Scorpius looked into his eyes for a brief moment and smiled, and then turned to the girl beside him who was telling them a story about her aunt's kneazles. Albus tried to listen, but he was too distracted by Scorpius to follow. When the others laughed at something she said, he joined in, but he hadn't been listening enough to get the point. But it felt wonderful to laugh together with Scorpius and to feel the touch of his foot.

If Albus hadn't known for sure before, he did now. Scorpius was most certainly flirting with him. The thought filled Albus with both hope and fear.


	6. Wanting

The next week was almost as busy as the first one, and the days had really flown by. It was now Saturday, and some Ravenclaws were planning a party in the Room of Requirement. Most students knew about the Room of Requirement by the time Albus had come to Hogwarts. He had been told that the room hadn't been common knowledge before the Second War, when his parents were at Hogwarts, but the secret of the room was badly kept following that time, and it was frequently used for parties, as well as for more private activities among the older students. Most students in the upper years were probably going to the party on Saturday, and Albus was hoping that Scorpius would, too. The realisation that Scorpius maybe was interested in him as well had only intensified Albus's daydreaming about him. Albus hadn't gotten a chance to see Scorpius alone all week, but he had received quite a few smiles and looks across the Great Hall during mealtimes, and sitting beside Scorpius in Potions lessons made him feel weak at the knees and dizzy. Albus was not performing at his usual aptitude in Potions class, but he could hardly expect to do so when his proximity to Scorpius caused goosebumps to flare up all over his skin. Their hands, as well as their feet, touched each other too often for it to be coincidental.

Albus imagined how he would 'accidentally' touch Scorpius, or maybe even kiss him, the next time they were alone. Maybe this party would be the opportunity he needed. It might be a good idea to get a little help from some Firewhiskey too… But, on the other hand, Albus was really scared. What if he had misinterpreted Scorpius completely? What if all their flirting had just been in his head, or what if Scorpius thought of it as just flirting, and didn't have the slightest wish to take it any further? Besides, it wasn't very likely that Albus would dare to make a move on Scorpius in real life. In his imagination, however, he would look into those grey eyes, and he would feel how close they were when he leaned in and softly kissed Scorpius. He blushed when he thought about it, since he never had kissed anyone before. That was a bit embarrassing, being seventeen years old and all, but there had to be a first time for everything, right?

Albus was going to the party together with a large group of Gryffindors. Rose and Michael were going of course, as well as Roxanne, Lucy and Lily. Sarah Finnegan was going too, and according to Rose, Sarah was hoping that Albus would finally notice her during the party. He was awfully bothered by her flirting. Judging from his friend Donald McLaggen's murderous looks, he wasn't the only one who wished she would leave him alone.

When Albus and his friends arrived at the Room of Requirement, the party already was in full swing. The music was loud and the room was crowded with dancing teenagers. It was a good thing the Room of Requirement always supplied the users with whatever they needed, because those parties were usually loud and the Room made sure that not a single sound escaped to notice the teachers. The Room was furnished today with soft couches placed in groups around the dance floor.

The Room couldn't provide food and drinks, so those things had to be smuggled there.. There was a reason for that, which had something to do with one of the exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, but Albus didn't remember exactly why. The Ravenclaws had brought snacks and butterbeers from the kitchens, but most of the teenagers had brought their own drinks. Michael, who wasn't too careful about obeying rules, usually had a few bottles of Firewhiskey hidden up in their dormitory for those parties.

Sarah grabbed Albus's hand as soon as they entered the Room, and he found himself dancing before he had a chance to protest. He didn't mind dancing, but he was a bit troubled that Sarah might think he liked her back. Rose and Michael were dancing as well, as were Lucy and a boy from Hufflepuff. Albus tried to look around for Scorpius, but he didn't see him.

After a while they sat down on a comfortable couch in a corner of the Room. Rose's brother Hugo came to join them, together with his friend Jake, who was also in Ravenclaw. Lily couldn't stop giggling and was obviously trying to catch Jake's attention. If James had been there, he would probably try to stop it, but Albus didn't care. Actually, he couldn't see how Lily's flirting or dating could be any of his or James's concern. She had a life and a will of her own, hadn't she? Besides, if Lily was interested in Jake now, she probably had forgotten all about that git Marcus she had been seeing before the summer. The Firewhiskey bottles were passed around, and Albus welcomed the burning and intoxicating feeling he got from the first sip.

'I'm glad you came, Al,' Lily said, a bit giddy from the Firewhiskey. 'You've been such a bore all summer. I really think you need some fun… Don't you agree, Rose?'

Rose looked up for a second and agreed, but then she quickly returned to her cuddling with Michael. Sarah sat close to Albus, and although he repeatedly tried to discreetly move away, she only seemed to move closer each time. Albus caught a glimpse of Scorpius from across the room. He was in the middle of a group of clearly drunk Slytherins. Apparently Roxanne had seen him too, because she got up and walked over to them.

Albus cringed. This was not how he had imagined this party at all. He grabbed the Firewhiskey bottle and took yet another gulp, despite hearing the little voice in his head say that he would have to pay for it the next morning. Donald was dragging Sarah away to dance, and Albus let out a thankful sigh of relief. He really had to find a nice way to tell Sarah that he wasn't interested in her.

He was alone at their table by now, apart from Rose and Michael, and they were a little too busy to pay attention to him. That didn't bother him, however, as he had other things on his mind. He saw Lily and Jake kissing on the dance floor, and nearby, he noticed Hugo sitting with a group of Ravenclaws who seemed to be embroiled in an academic discussion. Roxanne was laughing loudly together with the Slytherins, and Albus felt rather annoyed when he saw her flutter her eyelashes at Scorpius and touch his arm. He couldn't bear watching them any longer, so he got up and went outside into the quiet corridor. His ears were ringing because of the loud music, and his head was a bit dizzy from the Firewhiskey. He decided to go back to his dormitory. This party hadn't really been what he had hoped for.

Just when Albus was leaving, he heard Scorpius quietly calling his name. Albus jolted with surprise. He was positively startled to see Scorpius there.

'Hi,' he said.

'I saw you leaving,' Scorpius replied.

'Um, yeah, I'm a bit tired,' Albus said, faking a yawn.

'Okay,' Scorpius said. 'I guess you don't want to go outside for a moment, then?'

'Great!' Albus said, a bit too fast and too eager. 'I mean, sure, why not? Maybe I just need some fresh air to wake me up.'

Scorpius started to walk through the corridor and down the stairs, and Albus silently followed him outside into the warm September evening. As they walked toward the lake, Albus noticed that the moon was shining, and he smiled to himself about how ridiculously romantic this moment was. But, then again, perhaps Scorpius didn't think of him in a romantic way at all. Maybe it was only Albus's heart that was racing.

They walked fairly close to each other, a bit closer than two teenage boys usually would. Their shoulders and arms were almost touching. Albus wanted to take Scorpius's hand, but he couldn't find the courage to do so, despite the Firewiskey. It could be incredibly awkward if Scorpius really wasn't interested… But what if this was the best opportunity he would ever get? Was he prepared to risk his friendship with Scorpius? Why did it have to be this hard?

Just when Albus had finally decided not to take the risk, he suddenly felt Scorpius take his hand. He felt his hand and arm and all of his body shivering from this simple gesture. Albus gasped. He was overwhelmed by his sudden feelings of surprise, nervousness and happiness.

'Al?' Scorpius asked nervously. 'Is this okay?'

'It is,' Albus said. 'It's more than okay, actually.'

Suddenly, Albus, much to his own surprise, couldn't help but grab Scorpius' face and kiss him. It was even more incredible than he had ever imagined, and he thought that nothing could ever be more perfect than this. Scorpius was kissing him back and he felt the boy's arms around him and he finally got to draw his fingers through Scorpius's soft hair.

He didn't know how long they had been kissing. It could have been minutes, hours or several sunlit days… When they finally stopped, they looked into each other's eyes and happily smiled.

'Wow,' Scorpius whispered.

'Yeah,' Albus agreed, and then they were kissing again. He wanted this unbelievable, blissful feeling to last forever.

Albus felt like floating by the time they sat down together by the lake. Scorpius had his arm around his shoulders, and Albus leaned his head onto his shoulder. They sat there together and talked and kissed.

'You're amazing, you know,' Scorpius said. 'It feels like I've been waiting for this forever.'

'Me too,' Albus whispered. 'I can hardly believe it's true.'

'Me either,' Scorpius agreed. 'I've been thinking about you since we met at Hogsmeade. Or before that, really…'

'You have?' Albus said shyly. 'I've liked you for a long time, too. But I didn't know… I was… I wasn't even sure that you… um… liked boys too.'

'No, not everyone knows that about me, I guess,' Scorpius said. 'A few of my friends know, but not all of them. My parents definitely don't know.'

'I haven't told my parents either. I've never told anyone, in fact...' Albus admitted. 'I don't know how to say it to them. I don't know how they would react.'

They sat quietly together for a while. Albus leaned his head against Scorpius's shoulder. He couldn't believe his luck. The party, which had seemed to be a disappointment at first, had somehow led to this wonderful moment.

'Do you think that the others miss us at the party?' Albus asked.

'Yeah, probably…' Scorpius said with a grin. 'I guess that at least Roxanne would have noticed that I'm missing. I told her that I would get us some drinks.'

'She's probably looking all around for you right now,' Albus chuckled, kissing Scorpius again.

When they went back to the castle, they lingered in the shadows outside the entrance for a few minutes, stealing kisses and talking before they snuck up to their respective dormitories. Albus couldn't sleep for a long time. His mind was filled with happy thoughts, and he didn't want this marvellous day to end.

When Albus woke up the following morning he almost thought that it all had been a dream. However, the pleasant soreness of his lips told him that it had all really happened. He had an awful hammering headache from the Firewhiskey. Yesterday everything had felt perfect. Today, though, he felt scared all of a sudden. What if someone saw them together? What would happen if people found out about this? He didn't want anybody to know, and since he wouldn't end his budding relationship, the only possible way out was to hide it. So when Scorpius tried to catch his eye across the Great Hall during breakfast, he busied himself with his bacon and eggs and looked the other way.

'You left early yesterday, Al,' Rose stated. 'We were looking for you.'

'Yeah, I was tired… I'm sorry I left without saying goodnight.'

'Did anything happen?' Lily asked.

'No!' Albus said touchily. 'I was just tired. Is that allowed?'

'I'm sorry I asked!' Lily said, making a face at him. 'Don't bother telling me anything.'

Albus sighed. It would be hard to keep his secret from Lily and Rose. They were far too nosy to mind their own business.

'How about your night then, Lily?' Rose asked with a grin. 'When did you leave, and what happened after that?'

'I've no comments whatsoever,' Lily said, and winked. 'But I have to say that Jake is a very good kisser.'

Albus met Scorpius outside later that morning and was surprised that he still felt a bit nervous. Everything had seemed so natural and relaxed between them yesterday, but today there was a new tension between them.

'Have you changed your mind?' Scorpius asked with a small voice. 'Do you regret what happened yesterday?'

'What? No, are you crazy! Of course I don't!'

'Why did you look away earlier in the Great Hall? It was like you didn't care that I was there at all,' Scorpius said, looking both confused and sad.

'Please, Scorpius, don't you understand? All my friends were there, and my sister and my cousins… You can't expect me to flirt with you in front of them.'

'Why not? It shouldn't make a difference,' Scorpius said. 'I don't mind if my friends know about us. I don't mind if anybody knows.'

Albus was astonished by this. He had thought that they both wanted it to be a secret. _He_ unquestionably did.

'You're not ashamed of me, are you?' Scorpius asked.

'No,' Albus said. 'I don't want to tell anybody, though. Perhaps I'm a bit ashamed of myself. I don't want to disappoint my parents either.'

Scorpius hugged him and kissed him on the forehead.

'Okay Al, let's keep it a secret for a while then. I haven't told my parents anything about being gay either. I know that they won't approve. They're so old-fashioned in their beliefs. It's really important to them for me to marry a pureblood girl from a rich family. I'm never going to do that, but they don't know that yet. I admit that I'm a bit scared of telling them, but I want to do it anyway. I hate to sneak around, but I'll do it if it's important to you.'

'Thank you,' Albus said and kissed him. Everything felt all right again, more than all right. Albus knew that he had to be the happiest boy on Hogwarts, in Great Britain, and possibly in the world. He deepened the kiss, feeling a bit daring, and let himself melt in Scorpius's arms.


	7. Worrying

_Hi Al!_

_Here's just a quick note from your big brother. I have to check on you once in a while, don't I? How is life at Hogwarts? Do you like it in seventh year? Most important of all: Are there any gorgeous girls? I bet there are! You have to tell me all about it. Even if I wouldn't give up Jennifer for the world, I sometimes get jealous of all of you who are single. When is your next Hogsmeade weekend? Have you thought of a girl to ask yet? Please, kiss and tell, at least tell your big brother… I want all the juicy details, of course! And keep an eye on Lily, please! I think she is a bit too popular for her own good…_

_See you! Jamie_

Albus let the water flow around him as he swam a few strokes out toward the centre of the lake. The air was chilly, but the water still retained some of the warmth from the summer, even if it was early October now. He only had so much time until breakfast was over, but he wanted to swim for just a bit longer. The last three weeks had been overwhelming and confusing. Being with Scorpius was far better than Albus had ever imagined. The more time they spent together, the more right it felt. Albus spent most of his time daydreaming about Scorpius, or worrying that someone would find out about them. Most evenings, whenever Scorpius didn't have Quidditch practise, they secretly met. Initially the places they chose were outside, but when it got colder, they had to find secluded spaces inside the castle. Albus lived for those hours alone with Scorpius. He hadn't gotten much homework done lately, but he wasn't worried about that right now. He was usually a hard worker, and he thought he would probably be able to catch up with his studies later on.

As he was approaching the shore again, he saw someone waiting for him. At first he thought of Scorpius, and he remembered how the boy had been watching him swim a month ago. But this figure was slimmer, smaller, and carried a red sky of hair around her head.

'Aren't you freezing?' Lily said, wrapping her cloak around her more closely.

'No,' Albus said, but he couldn't help shivering a little now that he was out of the water and exposed to the chilly wind. 'Not very much, anyway,' he added, quickly getting dressed. He wondered why Lily was up and outside so early, and why she had come to find him.

'Can I ask you something?' Lily said, linking their arms as they started to walk back to the castle.

'Ask away,' Albus said. He could tell that she had something on her mind, because she had clearly made an effort to find him alone. It was not every day that his little sister came to him for advice, after all.

'You know I've been seeing Jake for some time now,' she started, a bit hesitantly. Albus smiled a little, remembering that she and Jake had actually gotten together at the party in the Room of Requirement, the same night that he and Scorpius shared their first kiss.

'Yes,' Albus said. 'I've noticed.' Probably everyone at Hogwarts had noticed Lily and Jake. 'Has James been pestering you with his letters?'

'He's James, isn't he? Of course he has,' Lily said with a sigh. 'That's why I'm asking you instead of him… Al, how will I know if I'm in love with him or not? I mean… I like him a lot, obviously, but what if it's not… you know… the real thing?'

'Um… I don't know,' Albus said, sounding a bit embarrassed. Her question had caught him off guard, since his sister was asking pretty much the same thing he was wondering regarding his own feelings for Scorpius. 'I… I don't have very much experience with this myself, Lily. You know that, don't you?'

'I know. ' Lily said. 'I just wanted your opinion. What do you think about Jake?'

'I don't know him very well… And the important thing here isn't what I think about him, is it? It's what you feel that really matters. Have you asked Rose about this?'

'Yeah… I don't think Rose likes him, though,' Lily said. 'She thinks he's too self-assured.'

'Don't mind her,' Albus said, putting his arm around her. 'Like I said, it's what you think about him that really matters.' He had a feeling that Rose might have a point about Jake, but he didn't think that it was any of his or Rose's concern. Lily had the right to be with whom she liked despite what anyone might think of it.

Lily's questions had made him think more about his own predicament, though, and his worries didn't give him a rest all day. Although Albus was really happy that he was dating Scorpius now, and although he was convinced that he wasn't ready to tell his family or his friends about their relationship, he sometimes wanted to talk to someone else about his feelings. This was the first time he was in love, and it was overwhelming. He needed to share his thoughts and feelings with someone besides Scorpius. How did he know if he was really in love, or merely feeling infatuation? If he had dated a girl he could probably talk to Rose, or his parents, or maybe even James, but he couldn't. Yet he ached to tell someone.

Maybe he could tell Teddy. He really needed to talk to someone, and as Teddy had been much like a big brother to him while growing up, he was someone Albus trusted. Teddy was seven years older than him, and the age difference between them made it easier for Albus to talk about sensitive subjects with him than with James. Teddy and Albus were also somewhat alike. Both of them were thoughtful and reflective, and Albus had come to Teddy for advice on a number of occasions before. If Teddy had been at home, instead of living in France with his fiancé, chances were that Albus would have talked with him already. After much consideration he finally decided to write a letter to Teddy. He had to write several drafts that afternoon, but finally, he felt like he had properly expressed what needed to be said.

_Hi Teddy!_

_How are things? Can you speak French yet? How is Victoire? _

_Things are pretty normal here at Hogwarts. Rose and Lily are busy playing Quidditch, Hugo is probably in the library, and I've got lots of homework to do. Well, we all have plenty of work, but it seems like Rose and Lily don't care quite so much about that. _

_Can I ask you something? I know that I can trust you not to tell anyone, not even Victoire. I can't ask James, because he can never be serious about anything, and I can't really talk to Mum and Dad about it, either. It is kind of weird to ask you in a letter, and I feel embarrassed, but I really need your help. _

_Anyway… How did you feel when you fell in love with Victoire? You were my age back then, right? How can you know if it's true love or just a crush? I'm seeing someone, but nobody knows about it, or at least I don't think so. We want to keep it a secret for now. Some days it feels like I've had a sip of Amortentia. I'm so happy in those moments, and when we kiss, I get this warm and fuzzy feeling inside and it feels like flying. We could look into each other's eyes forever. It feels so right and so easy. But how do I know for sure? Whenever we can't be together, I feel so sad._

_I hope you're doing well! We missed you during the summer. Are you coming home for Christmas? Please do, it wouldn't be the same without you._

_Albus_

Albus almost ran up to the Owlery to send his letter to Teddy before he had the time to change his mind. As soon as he saw the owl fly away with his letter, though, he found himself filled with doubt already. Was it really wise to write to Teddy about Scorpius? Albus made a decision to concentrate on his studies instead of worrying about the letter to Teddy. He figured that it would be best not to think about the letter over the next couple of days, at least until he got a reply. In fact, he had History of Magic in just a few minutes, so really, the decision hadn't been so hard for him to make.

History of Magic had always been boring, but Albus was one of the few students who actually tried to listen to the never-ending monologue of Professor Binns. He really made an effort to listen today, but his mind kept wandering to his fantasy of being able to encircle his arms around Scorpius and kiss him senseless later that night. It had been days since the last time they had been alone together, and he found himself physically aching for the other boy. How had he been able to live without being with Scorpius just a few weeks ago? He wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, but it was hard to keep up with his studying and with Scorpius's Quidditch practise.

Albus was suddenly aware of Rose nudging his arm. He looked up and found that the boring lesson had come to an end without him even noticing it. He smiled foolishly at Rose and got up.

'Are you daydreaming again?' Rose asked him, giving Albus a curious look. 'You can't do that during History of Magic, you know. I'm depending on you taking notes in this class, dear cousin, or else I might fail the exam… Anyway, Michael and I are going to the library after dinner to write that Charms essay. Do you want to come?'

'Um… Maybe,' Albus said, although he was absolutely sure that he would not come, since he was planning to meet Scorpius after dinner. What excuse could he use this time to get out of it? Both Rose and Lily had started to act a bit weird around him lately. Albus, who was scared to death that they would find out the truth, thought that they were watching him. They were prying and they asked him questions about where he had been when he had not been spending time with the group. Albus tried to act as normal as possible, but it was increasingly difficult to explain away his late nights with Scorpius. He was convinced that it would be a disaster if they found out about his new relationship. Rose might be able to handle it, but Lily would freak out. Even Michael had been asking him about where he spent his free time. There was also James, who kept sending him letters, heavily hinting that he should find a girlfriend. Sometimes he wished that he didn't have a large, nosy family.

Albus pretended that he had an awful headache during dinner, and he said that he needed to go to bed instead of studying with the others. He stayed in his bed for half an hour and then snuck away, hoping he had gone unnoticed. He wished that he had his father's invisibility cloak or the Marauder's Map, both of which would have been very handy, but sadly neither of them was in his possession.

Scorpius was already waiting for him when he entered the empty classroom where they had planned to meet. They held each other silently for a while, and Albus leaned his head against Scorpius's shoulder and sighed happily. He could stay like this forever. He stroked Scorpius's back before cupping the other boy's face in his hands. Their lips met and they kissed, softly and slowly yet passionately. Albus felt his whole body tremble at the sensation of Scorpius's lips and tongue. He pulled Scorpius down onto a desk where they remained kissing for a great deal of the evening.

'Rose's getting suspicious,' Albus said when they eventually came up for air. 'She told me the other day that she saw you looking at us in the Great Hall.'

'Maybe I was looking,' Scorpius said, kissing the tip of Albus's nose. 'I want to be able to look at you.'

'I know. It's just that both Lily and Rose are so damn nosy. I mean, Rose thinks that you're interested in her, or maybe Lily…'

'You know better than that. I'm sure they're great girls and all, but they're girls, and they're not you.'

Albus leaned in and kissed him. Their kissing soon became feverish and heated, but Albus broke it off.

'Rose thinks that I've been behaving oddly,' Albus said. 'She's constantly asking where I've been and why I don't hang with them in the common room. She's even has asked me if I have a secret girlfriend. I denied it, which I guess means I technically didn't lie, but…'

'Don't you think it would be easier if you told them? I mean, you seem pretty close to them.'

'No, they wouldn't understand. We just have to be careful, that's all.'

They started kissing again, and Albus allowed himself to forget his troubles and enjoy the moment. This was, as a matter of fact, far better than any dream. As long as they could stay hidden like this everything would be all right.


	8. Flying

Teddy's owl arrived during breakfast in the Great Hall, and Albus tore the envelope open.

_Al!_

_Believe me, you're in love! I can tell just by reading your letter! Who's the lucky girl? I promise not to tell anyone, not even Victoire. Tell me all about her! How does she look, which house is she in (It better not be Slytherin, though!), and how old is she?_

_Teddy_

Albus read the letter as fast as he could, and then quickly hid it. How stupid could he have been to send that letter to Teddy? Of course he would ask about who it was! How could he possibly write an answer to this without lying? Albus decided not to write back to Teddy right now, but to wait until he had found a good way to answer the letter.

As Albus, Michael and Rose were collecting their things after Herbology class that morning, getting ready to leave the greenhouse, Albus was called back by Professor Longbottom. Professor Longbottom was a good-natured man in his mid-forties. He was the Head of Gryffindor, and he was also a close friend of Albus's parents. Albus had known him all his life, as well as his wife. Professor Longbottom (or Uncle Neville, as Albus called him when they were alone or outside Hogwarts) had no children himself, which may be why he had always seemed so fond of Albus and his siblings.

'Albus,' he said when the other students had left the greenhouse. 'Can we talk for a minute?'

Albus nodded and Uncle Neville continued. 'I'm worried about your studies. Not so much in Herbology, because you're still one of my top students, but I've heard from the other teachers that your results are beginning to drop. I know you, Al, and I don't think that the classes have suddenly become too hard for you. You still want to become a Healer, don't you?'

'I do,' Albus said quietly. He knew that he hadn't studied as he usually did this autumn, but he hadn't realized that it was already affecting his results enough for the teachers to notice. He felt a cold lump form in his stomach.

'What is it? I know there is something troubling you.'

'It's nothing,' Albus said, picking some yellow leaves from a plant beside him.

'Are you unhappy? Having any love problems?' Uncle Neville asked, his round face filled with concern.

'I'm fine, really,' Albus said, unable to avoid smiling. He was, in fact, happier now than he had been for a long time. 'Look, I'm not unhappy, and I will put more effort into my studies, okay?'

'Your mum is worried, too,' Uncle Neville added. 'She asked me to check on you.'

'I bet she did… But I'm fine, really. I admit that I have been a little distracted lately, but I promise I'll work harder from now on.'

'I believe you will. I know you're ambitious. Just promise me that you'll come to me if there is anything you would like to talk about, okay?'

For a brief moment, Albus thought about telling Uncle Neville about Scorpius, but he couldn't find the courage to do so. Instead he nodded, thanked Uncle Neville, and hurried to Transfiguration class.

Ignoring Teddy's letter was easier said than done, though. It wasn't long before Albus received another owl from him asking for details about 'the girl'. This made Albus glad that he hadn't asked James. He could easily imagine how curious and snooping James would be if Teddy was like this…

_Al!_

_Please answer my letter! I'm so curious to know who she is. Can't you give me a hint, then? Why are you keeping this romance a secret? I know for a fact that your family has been worried about you for a while. Lily says that you've been acting strange. Is it because of this girl? I know that they would be happy and relieved if they knew why you were acting this way._

_Ted_

Albus quickly crinkled the letter, feeling a bit annoyed. It was a stupid idea to write to Teddy. Why did he do that in the first place? He vanished the letter with the Evanesco spell and tried to forget about it as he walked over to meet Scorpius in the Room of Requirement. They met there as often as they could, because it was the only place where they could be sure to be alone. Sometimes they studied together in the library, because they had found out that they needed to be in a public place to actually get some studying done. When they had tried to study in private, they somehow always ended up snogging, usually with their hands somewhere inside each other's clothes. So far they hadn't done more than that, but Albus knew it was only a matter of time. He felt both scared and excited by the thought.

He went up to the seventh floor and sneaked around a corner. He looked both ways to make sure that he was alone before he willed the Room to appear and went inside. Scorpius was already inside the Room of Requirement, and he greeted Albus with an intense kiss. They hadn't been able to meet like this for a few days, and Albus was just as eager as Scorpius was. His hands wandered over Scorpius's lean body, wanting him to be as close as possible. They kissed hungrily for a while, and Albus forgot all about that stupid letter from Teddy. He could stay like this forever. As Scorpius's kisses became more demanding, Albus reluctantly drew away. He didn't want to take things too far yet, although his body disagreed with all its power. He looked at Scorpius with a sigh, and they sat quietly together for a while.

'I wished we didn't have to sneak around,' Scorpius said after a few minutes. Every now and then Scorpius talked about telling their friends and family. He spoke about the unfairness of them having to hide their relationship when others didn't. Albus knew from his Muggleborn friends that being gay wasn't a big deal in the Muggle world anymore, but in the wizarding world it certainly was, or at least it seemed so to him. To be honest, sometimes Albus wished he lived in the Muggle world, given that his sexuality might be more accepted there as compared to the more traditional society he lived in as a young wizard. To make matters worse, it wasn't all about the fact that Scorpius was male. Albus knew that for his father, it would probably be just as bad that Scorpius was the son of Draco Malfoy as it would be that he wasn't a girl. How could he possibly disappoint his parents with this?

'Tomorrow would be a good day to tell them,' Scorpius said and snuggled against Albus. 'Both your parents and mine will be here because of the Quidditch game, right?' Tomorrow was the first game of the year, and Slytherin was scheduled to play against Gryffindor.

'Are you out of your mind?' Albus yelled at him. 'We can't tell them during a Quidditch game! I don't think we should tell them at all. Period!'

'What do you mean? Are you never going to tell them?' Scorpius said. 'I know this is early, and I know that we're young, but you mean the world to me and I want us to be together forever. Of course we have to tell our families at some point.'

'I don't know…' Albus said. 'Do you really mean that, that I'm that important to you?'

'Albus… Albus, you're the most remarkable person I've ever known, and the most beautiful. I'm in love with you, don't you understand?' Scorpius whispered and gently kissed him.

'That's… That's wonderful, because I feel the same. I suppose that we'll eventually have to tell them, but not yet. Maybe after we've graduated. At least not now, please…' Albus said, trying to put on that puppy-eyed look he knew Scorpius couldn't resist. He leaned in to kiss Scorpius, and although they had shared thousands of kisses before, he felt that this one was special. They had not spoken this openheartedly about their feelings before. Their kisses once again became more heated and more demanding. Albus let go of all his thoughts and allowed himself to be absorbed in this magical feeling. There was nothing but Scorpius in the world, and this snogging would go on forever, or he would die.

It was Scorpius who drew away this time.

'It's really time to sleep… I don't want to be tired tomorrow if I'm going to catch the Snitch before your sister does,' he said with a grin.

'That's probably right. Too bad, though… Good luck tomorrow!' Albus said, as he drew Scorpius close for one last snog before they had to leave.

The next day was bright and sunny, and the autumn sun felt surprisingly warm. Albus sat together with his parents and James and watched the Quidditch game. Harry and Ginny usually came to watch when their children played, and Albus enjoyed the opportunity to see his parents during the school year. It was good to see James too. The brothers were not used to being separated like they had been for the past few months. Although James could be annoying, Albus missed having him around.

'Lily is quite good,' James said. 'I'm sure she'll catch the Snitch before that Slytherin does.'

'Yeah,' Albus said, his eyes following Scorpius.

'So… Have you asked Sarah out yet?' James inquiringly asked. 'It can't be long until your first Hogsmeade weekend, can it?'

'Um… No,' Albus said. 'I haven't asked her.'

'But you're going to, right?' James asked.

'Maybe,' Albus lied, leaning back in his seat. He skimmed the sky for Scorpius again. Albus knew that he was supposed to watch Lily and Rose, but he was far more interested in watching Scorpius. His eyes were drawn to the green and silver he knew was Scorpius high above them, and his thoughts were wandering. He was thinking of how they had kissed yesterday and hoping that he would get some private time with Scorpius after the game. Alone time with Scorpius was indeed very addictive. Suddenly, Albus felt his mother's eyes on him, and he turned to her.

'How are you, really?' she asked quietly. James and Harry were both absorbed by the game.

'I'm fine,' he smiled. 'I'm really fine.'

'Are you sure? I mean, you seem so distant… And I know you were having a hard time this summer, too.'

'I told you I'm fine!' Albus said impatiently.

'Is it your studying that troubles you? I remember that I was stressed during my last year here…'

'I'm fine! Never been better,' Albus said, a bit harsher than he meant to, and continued to watch Scorpius.

Later that afternoon Albus and Scorpius found a place by the lake as far from the castle and all its students that they could. They talked about the game earlier, and Albus sat behind Scorpius and rubbed his shoulders and back. Apparently his muscles were sore after the game, or at least that was what Scorpius said. Albus didn't mind, though, because he enjoyed the feeling of Scorpius's skin against his hands. Fortunately, he was good at heating spells, as it was rather cold outside now that the sun had set. Albus kneaded the back of Scorpius's neck, and then encircled his arms around him and kissed his neck. Scorpius let out a soft moan of delight that made Albus's heart rush.

'You like it?' Albus whispered in his ear.

'Mmm… I do,' Scorpius said, leaning back in his arms. 'I wish there were Quidditch games more often, if I can expect this treatment afterwards every time,' he added with a smile.

'You do, do you?' Albus asked, attempting to sound stern. 'So I'm only good for backrubs after Quidditch?'

'Yeah, I might keep you around because of that,' Scorpius said, which made Albus tickle him until he took it back.

'Okay, okay, I'm sorry!' Scorpius said and kissed him. 'How was it to see your family?' he added.

'Fine, I guess. Mum was asking me tons of questions, though. She's worrying as usual. Lily has probably sent her owls telling her that she and Rose are worried about me…'

'I really think you should tell them, at least Rose…'

'Don't start that again!' Albus sighed. 'James asked me about dating girls again, too… He thinks I should ask Sarah Finnegan out for the next Hogsmeade visit.'

'I'm sorry to disappoint you… I heard that she's going with Donald McLaggen,' Scorpius chuckled. 'You'll have to stick to me instead.'

Albus was glad to hear that Sarah seemed to have moved on to Donald instead of him. At least that was one problem that he wouldn't have to worry about anymore.

They were freezing now, despite the heating charms, so they got up and started to walk back to the castle. It had started to get dark, so they used their wands to light up the path as they walked.

'Hi there!' a voice said when they came near the castle. Albus quickly let go of Scorpius's hand. He hoped that it was too dark for the person to notice their joined hands. He thought that the girl looked suspiciously at their hands, but he convinced himself that he was imagining things.

'Hello Dorinda,' Scorpius said. Albus recognized the girl as one of Scorpius's friends from Slytherin. He had met her before, and he remembered her as loud and outspoken, but nice.

'So… Have you been strolling by the lake?' Dorinda asked with a grin. 'Did you forget the celebrating in the common room? It's not like you to miss a party, Scorp... '

'I was in the mood for a walk,' Scorpius said, and Dorinda exploded with laughter.

'Yeah, I bet you were! I've known you for six years and you've never shown any interest in strolling before,' she said, winking playfully.

'Oh, shut it, will you?' Scorpius said, giving her a look of warning.

'Okay… Bye Scorp! Bye Albus!' Dorinda giggled and left.

Albus froze with fear. That girl clearly suspected something, and who knew whom she might tell?

'Don't mind her,' Scorpius said reassuringly. 'She's only teasing me because she knows that I fancied you last year… I haven't told her anything else, because I promised you to keep it a secret, but I know she'll only be happy when we tell her about us. We've been friends since our first year and she was the first one I told about being gay at all.'

'Are you sure she won't tell anyone?' Albus asked.

'I'm positive. Dorinda is great, and she won't say a word to anyone.'

Albus wasn't sure, though. Even if they could trust Dorinda, there were so many others who might notice something at one time or another… It wouldn't be easy to keep this secret forever.


	9. Hiding

It was biting cold when Scorpius and Albus walked through Hogsmeade together. It had been a bit of trouble to sneak away from the other Gryffindors to meet Scorpius. Albus wanted to spend his Hogsmeade day with Scorpius and he had to pretend to feel ill to make his friends and cousins to go without him. _It was worth it now_, he thought, as he walked beside Scorpius in the chilly autumn afternoon.

Albus remembered the last time they had been there, and the memory brought a smile to his face. So much had happened since that day in May. It was late in October now, and the shops had been decorated with pumpkins. They had decided to go to the Hog's Head again. There weren't any other guests in the pub, so Albus dared to take Scorpius's hand in his own. It felt so good to sit together like this, talking and drinking butterbeer while holding hands. This had to be the perfect way to spend an afternoon in Hogsmeade.

They were sitting close together and speaking softly to each other when they suddenly heard a loud gasp from someone at the door. Albus quickly let go of Scorpius's hand and turned to see who was there. He could just see a glimpse of Lily's shocked face and a blur of red hair as she turned away and disappeared again.

'Merlin! What am I going to do? What am I going to say to her? Scorp, please say that this didn't happen,' Albus squealed with panic.

'It did,' Scorpius said, trying to hold him. 'I know you don't want her to know, I understand that you are afraid. But you have to talk to her now.'

Albus angrily pushed Scorpius away, furiously blushing as he grabbed his cloak and ran off. He wanted to get back to Hogwarts, to hide in his bed behind the hangings of the four-poster. He wanted to fall through the ground and never again meet the eyes of his sister. How could he have been so naïve as to think it was safe for him to hold Scorpius's hand in public? How could he have thought that he could hide their love from anyone by acting so reckless?

Albus rushed through Hogsmeade and back towards the castle. When he reached Hogwarts, he stumbled through the corridors to Gryffindor Tower as fast as he could manage. Lily had apparently done the same, because just as he was about to say the password to the Fat Lady, he almost ran over his sister. She had clearly been crying, and Albus could see that she was upset.

'How could you?' she yelled at him. Albus couldn't find an answer for that, and so Lily continued yelling. 'I don't know what to think of you anymore! It's… it's… I mean, my own brother!'

Albus looked at her, trying to find words.

'I'm sorry, Lily,' he said. 'I'm sorry that you had to find out like that.'

'I can't believe it!' Lily continued yelling as Rose came through the portrait hole from inside the Gryffindor common room. Albus briefly wondered why she was there at all and not in Hogsmeade, but right now he had more important things on his mind.

'What is it?' Rose questioned, glancing from Lily to Albus. Both siblings looked equally upset.

'Albus is gay!' Lily cried. 'And he's seeing that vile Slytherin! Malfoy!' she spat, and then she pushed her way between the two of them and angrily stomped through the portrait hole. Rose followed her with her eyes before turning to Albus.

'Is it true?' she asked in a soft voice. Albus only nodded, his eyes fixated at his feet.

'But why didn't you tell us? We've been so worried about you lately… You've been so distant and odd, and you keep disappearing most nights.'

Albus kept watching his shoes and he felt tears falling down his cheeks.

'Albus?' Rose said gently. 'Why didn't you tell me? You know I'm not prejudiced, don't you?' She tried to put her arms around him, but he pushed her away. He couldn't handle any of this right now. He wanted to be alone.

'Don't tell anyone, Rose! Please!' Albus pleaded, and then he quickly disappeared through the portrait hole and up to his dormitory. There, he collapsed in his bed, heavily sobbing. He pointed his wand at the curtains, making sure that his crying wouldn't be heard.

Albus didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have done so eventually. He woke up with puffy eyes, and then immediately remembered the events of the afternoon, causing him to cringe and hide under his blanket. He could hear the other boys talking outside his bed hangings. They were probably already changing into their pyjamas. The curtains around his bed moved a little, and Michael's face showed.

'Hey,' he said. 'How are you feeling?'

'Go away, please,' Albus mumbled.

'Are you ill?' Michael asked, his dark eyes filled with concern for his best friend.

'Yes. Just go away, will you?' Albus said, turning away. He didn't want to talk to Michael. It was most likely only a matter of time until Michael wouldn't want to be friends with him, anyway. Sooner or later, Lily or Rose would tell him about Albus, and Michael would probably be frightened off. Albus didn't want to lose his best friend, but he felt like he didn't have a choice in the matter. Albus felt his eyes fill with tears again. This romance with Scorpius had a very high price.

Albus stayed in his dormitory for two days. He could tell that his roommates didn't quite believe that he really was ill. How could they, when Rose was running in and out all the time, begging him to talk, eat, or at least get a grip? He had never felt more ashamed and embarrassed than he did right now. Now all his cousins knew, at least Rose and Hugo, or so he assumed. Perhaps Roxanne and Lucy knew by now, too. He didn't know about the older cousins who had left Hogwarts. They had probably been told as well. This had to be juicy gossip. He just wanted to stay up in his dorm forever. He suddenly heard steps again and groaned. Rose never left him alone, and Albus didn't want to talk to her.

'Go away, Rose!' he grumpily said.

'It's me.' He heard Lily's voice. 'Look, Al, I'm sorry.'

Albus didn't answer, but he sat up and turned towards his sister, peeking through the curtains.

'I'm sorry I said those horrible things to you. You know I love you, don't you? You're my brother, and I'll always love you… I guess that I was surprised. I was scared… I didn't know how to react. I'm sorry!'

Albus looked at his little sister and was suddenly filled with compassion for her. Lily was only fifteen, after all, and she had probably never considered the possibility that someone close to her could be gay. She looked so young and juvenile with her red hair in a ponytail and her eyes filled with concern. Albus could never be angry with her for long. She could hardly be blamed for her reaction, he supposed.

'I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for my behaviour here, but I was already upset when I saw you with Scorpius. Jake and I had been fighting… or more like breaking up, really, and I was already about to cry when I found you. I'm sorry, Al, but I got scared. I didn't know what to think about it. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry for the things I said. Rose helped me to see it properly.'

'It's ok,' he said with a weak smile. 'I'm sorry about Jake.'

'Thanks,' she said, putting her arms around him. Albus hugged her, recalling that it felt good to do so.

'I'm so embarrassed,' he said. 'I didn't want any of you to know.'

'You've nothing to be ashamed of. You know that. You have just the same right to be happy as anyone else.' Lily hugged him again, and then she remembered something.

'I've got a letter for you,' she said, handing over an envelope with Teddy's writing on the front. 'I have to go back to class now… See you later!' Lily walked to the door. Albus looked at the letter in his hands and tore it open as soon as he heard her footsteps on the stairs.

_Albus,_

_I know now why you wanted your romance to be a secret. I got a letter from Hugo this morning. He told me that you haven't left your dorm since Lily saw you in the Hog's Head. We are worried about you. You have to eat, and you can't stay in there forever. What does Scorpius say about this? Have you even seen to him since Saturday? (I guess not, since you are in different houses.) _

_I know from your previous letter that you are in love with him. It was really obvious when I read it. I can understand that you were afraid to tell the world, but I would think that now would be a good time, don't you? Albus, we all love you, and we will accept that you are in love with a Slytherin boy. I feel rather embarrassed about my last two letters… Please, can you forgive me?_

_I really think you should tell Harry and Ginny, though. I think it would be better for you to tell them yourself, rather than letting them hear it from gossip. They will understand, I know it. Please do, and please talk to Lily and Rose! And Scorpius! _

_I am always here for you,_

_Teddy_

Albus eyes filled with tears again. Teddy was great, Lily was great, Rose was great. Teddy's letter made him think, though. Albus realized that he had been so obsessed about his own shame that he hadn't even thought about what Scorpius might be feeling. He had just pushed him away and run for the castle. What if Scorpius was angry with him, or disappointed, or didn't want him anymore? He had to find out how Scorpius had been handling this mess.

The next time Rose came up, bringing some sandwiches, Albus didn't shout at her. Instead, he asked her to stay for a little while, which she of course did. He could see in her face that she was relieved that he was talking to her. He could hear her let out her breath as she sat down beside him.

'Have you talked to Scorpius?' he asked, looking down at his sweaty hands.

'Yeah, I have, quite a lot, as a matter of fact,' Rose said. 'I have to say that he seems to be really nice once you get to know him... But I guess you already know that,' she said, smiling.

'I do,' Albus said, smiling a little, too. 'How is he? Do you think he is angry with me?' He dreaded the answer. What if Scorpius wouldn't want to speak to him again?

'Why do you even ask? He is worried mad about you like all of us,' Rose said. 'He really loves you, you know.'

'Do you really think so?' Albus asked with renewed hope in his voice.

'Scorpius doesn't do anything these days besides talk about you. You should talk to him yourself,' Rose answered. 'Can't you understand how hard this must be for him?'

'How many people know about us?'

'Just us. I mean, we didn't tell anyone, except for Hugo and James. I didn't even tell Michael. He's constantly asking me what's wrong with you, but I've told him that you'll have to tell him yourself.'

'James knows?' Albus growled and buried his face. 'Oh, Merlin, I know he'll hate me. He's going to be disgusted by me. Please leave me alone again, would you?' Albus felt the shame eating him again, and all he wanted to do now was cry and stare at the wall.

Rose sighed and left. Albus knew that he had once again worried her with his behaviour, but he didn't care right now. The thought of James knowing about him was unbearable. One part of Albus had wanted so badly to live up to the expectations of his older brother, even if he knew that he never would. James could be so annoying sometimes, but his opinion really mattered to Albus. He wasn't ready to let James know about his secret already. Why did things have to be so complicated? Everything had been perfect just a few days ago, and now he was in the midst of an awful chaos.

Rose came up to him later that afternoon with a letter from Scorpius. Albus quickly thanked her and ushered her away. He wanted to be alone when he read it. He sniffed at the envelope for a second, trying to find a trace of Scorpius's fragrance, and then ripped it open, unable to wait any longer. His heart was beating fast. What if Rose was wrong and Scorpius didn't want him anymore?

_To my dearest Al,_

_Please speak to me! You have stayed hidden up there in Gryffindor Tower since your sister saw us. It has been two days now. I am worried sick about you, and I miss you. I miss you even more than I knew was possible._

_You know I wanted to tell the world about us. I honestly don't know if my parents will accept our relationship, but I still want to tell everyone. I am so happy that I have you, and I am proud of it. But this isn't the way I wanted for everyone to find out. I am so sorry it happened this way. _

_I understand that you are afraid, and so am I. Your sister and your cousins have been great to me lately, though. They do understand, and I don't think they have told anybody else. Please, Al!_

_Love always, _

_Scorpius_

Albus felt a pang of guilt, and he knew that it was time for him to get up, take a bath, and face the world again. When he finally made it downstairs, he found Scorpius in the Great Hall, sitting at the Slytherin table. Scorpius seemed to be staring down at his apparently untouched plate of kidney pie. He was looking so miserable that Albus felt his heart physically hurting. His robes looked crinkled, and the blonde hair that usually looked perfect seemed messy. Had Albus done this to him? Scorpius was surrounded by his friends, and Albus felt nervous to approach him, but he took a deep breath and walked up to Scorpius, asking to have a word with him. Albus saw Scorpius's grey eyes widen and a smile forming on his lips as he followed Albus outside. As soon as they were out of sight of the Great Hall, they kissed and hugged and held on to each other as if their lives depended on it. Albus was crying, but he didn't care how he looked.

'Come on,' Scorpius hoarsely whispered after a while, leading him outside. Albus hadn't been outside for several days, and even if it was cold, it felt marvellous to breathe fresh air after spending such a long time in his dormitory.

'I'm so sorry!' Scorpius said, and Albus noticed that he wasn't the only one to cry.

'Scorp, love, don't you be sorry! I'm the one who should ask for forgiveness. I've been a coward and a selfish prat. I don't deserve you. I understand if you hate me after this.'

'I could never hate you. I've been so worried about you… Albus, please look at me! I love you, don't you know that?' Scorpius said, stroking his cheek. It was the first time he had actually said 'I love you' to Albus, and Albus knew that it was the truth.

Albus was filled with emotions as he looked at Scorpius. 'I love you too,' Albus said. Then, they were kissing madly again, as if making up for lost time.


	10. Loving

_Al!_

_Lily and Rose have told me everything. Please don't be angry with them. They were just worried about you. I'm a bit worried about you myself, especially after I heard that you've been hiding in your dorm for ages. Seriously, don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, I know that you were scared of telling us and all that, but now that we already know, can't everything just be okay?_

_I can see that you were nervous about telling us, and sure, I admit that I was startled at first. But, please don't get me wrong here… in a way it makes sense to me, after all. I've been quite a prat asking you about dating girls, haven't I? You're my only brother and I couldn't care less about who you're in love with as long as you are happy. You know that, don't you?_

_Jamie_

Albus smiled as he folded James's letter and put it back in its envelope. The letter had arrived during breakfast, and he had opened it at once. He was amazed by how supportive James was. Perhaps James could be more mature and sensible than he had previously thought. It was a relief to find that his cousins and siblings accepted his relationship with Scorpius. Albus had made them all promise not to tell anyone else, and he still didn't want to tell his parents or his friends at school. But it was good now that Lily and Rose knew because he didn't have to lie to them anymore about sneaking off to see Scorpius.

'We'd better hurry up if we don't want to be late for Charms,' Michael said.

'Yeah, I'll race you there!' Albus said, standing up. They hadn't raced to a class since third year, so Michael was caught a little off guard, which allowed Albus to get the head start he needed to win. They were both panting as they plopped down in their seats in the classroom.

'You cheated!' Michael accused, laughing.

'I still won,' Albus said as he took out his books from his bag.

'I'm glad you are okay again,' Michael said. 'I know something happened over the weekend, even if I don't know what it was.'

'It's nothing, really,' Albus said. 'Look, we have a free period after lunch today. Do you want to hang out? Maybe go swimming?'

'It's October! It's too cold to swim now, even for you!' Michael protested.

'It's not too cold until it's ice on the surface… But, sure, we could play Exploding Snap or something instead,' Albus said, and then muttered something under his breath that might or might not have been 'coward', which made Michal punch him rather hard in the upper part of his arm. Albus didn't get a chance for revenge, since the lesson started at the very same moment.

During the next few weeks Albus and Scorpius's relationship deepened. Albus knew that this had to be love. Something else was different now, too. They had been content with just kissing and cuddling before, but now they couldn't get enough of each other. Whenever they were alone and kissing now, they both got carried away, and things quickly got heated. Albus had tried to stop it at first, but had soon decided that he really didn't want anything to stop. They were in the Room of Requirement, which conveniently had provided them a bed, candles and soft music.

'Are you sure about this?' Scorpius whispered between kisses.

'Yes,' Albus panted. The truth was that he had never been more nervous in his life. 'Are you?'

'I'm sure. I love you so much,' Scorpius huskily whispered. There was an urgent tone in his voice that Albus hadn't heard before, and it drove him mad and made him even more excited. They kissed again, more feverishly and intensely than ever, and Albus felt his nervousness vanish as his body took over from his mind. His hands were moving by themselves, unbuttoning clothes and eagerly exploring every inch of the gorgeous man in front of him. This was Scorpius, his love, and he was all Albus needed in the world. He wanted to be as close as two human beings can be, and he wanted to have him fully in every sense of the word.

It wasn't perfect. Far from it, really; it was fumbling and awkward, since it was the very first time for both of them, but it was also even more marvellous than Albus had ever imagined it could be. It was fabulous because it was with Scorpius who he trusted completely, and who he was totally in love with. Albus imagined that the first time couldn't get more perfect than this. He laid close to Scorpius afterwards, his fingers playing at Scorpius's bare chest, and felt that everything was so right. As long as he had Scorpius in his life, everything _would_ be all right. They loved each other, and that was the only important thing. He remembered what his father once had told him and James:

'The only thing that matters is that you're truly in love with the girl, and that you both want it to happen,' his father had said to his rather embarrassed sons. 'Oh, right, make sure that she doesn't get pregnant.' Albus had followed his father's advice, except for the part about pregnancy, and the fact that he was in love with a boy instead of a girl.

It was November now, and the winter seemed to be arriving soon. The lake was covered with a thin layer of ice that stopped even Albus from swimming. Fortunately, he didn't have very much time for swimming now, since he had to make up for all the studying he skipped earlier during the autumn. Scorpius didn't seem to study at all, apart from the times when they studied together. The Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch game was coming up soon, and Scorpius had to practise with his team most nights. Albus was sulking a bit about this. Wasn't it bad luck that he, who didn't take an interest in Quidditch at all, not only had a Quidditch playing family, but also a boyfriend who was a Quidditch player? Then, he smiled to himself and enjoyed the fact that his boyfriend was Scorpius Malfoy.

The good side of Scorpius's busy schedule was that Albus had a little more time for his homework, and also time for seeing Michael and Rose. Sometimes Albus felt bad for not telling Michael about Scorpius. It wasn't fair of him to hide something important from his best friend, but he didn't really know how to say it. At times, Albus thought that Michael might suspect something. He had caught Albus exchanging glances with Scorpius during meal times once or twice, but he hadn't said anything about it yet.

It was difficult for Albus and Scorpius not to be able to be together as much as they wanted to. It had been a few days since they last had the chance to meet in private, and Albus missed Scorpius immensely. He had arrived early for Potions, hoping for an opportunity to catch a few moments alone with Scorpius before the rest of their class arrived. Albus sat by his desk, waiting, while the classroom rapidly filled with students. Scorpius was among the last to arrive, just in time for the lesson to start. He said a casual 'Hello' and seated himself besides Albus, who tried to listen to the teacher's instructions.

It was torture to sit this close to his love, not being able to show his affection in any way. Most of the time they had to pretend that they didn't care about each other at all. A lot of people knew that they were friends now, but it became increasingly more difficult to act like they were just friends instead of boyfriends. Albus looked sideways at Scorpius, admiring the handsome man beside him. He wanted to reach out and put his hand to the boy's stubby cheek, to feel his blonde soft hair in his hands, to kiss those lips… Scorpius turned towards him and looked him in the eyes. It was like the time stood still while they were trapped in each other's eyes. Albus was on the edge of forgetting about everything, and he nearly leaned in and kissed him. He had been longing for Scorpius for days, and now he was finally so close… But then he was suddenly aware of the other students around him and felt shocked about how easily he had forgotten that they were sitting in class.

'Later,' he promised Scorpius in a whisper, returning his attention to the teacher's instructions. 'Let's skive off next lesson, shall we?'

They spent the next hour in the Room of Requirement. Albus didn't usually miss classes, but if this was the only possible way to spend time with Scorpius, it was worth it. He figured he could borrow the notes from Rose later. Albus lay on the bed with his head on Scorpius's chest. Scorpius stroked his hair and Albus felt his eyelids fall closed. He felt wonderfully relaxed and almost drifted off to sleep for a while.

'It's time for dinner,' Scorpius said after some time had passed, bending down to kiss Albus's forehead.

'Can't we stay here?' Albus mumbled. 'We could stay like this forever.'

'Forever sounds great,' Scorpius agreed, and he kissed Albus, this time on the mouth. 'But I'm really hungry, and as this room isn't providing any food… Besides, I think it's shepherd's pie today.'

Albus got up and got dressed rather reluctantly. 'When can I see you again?' he asked sulkily.

'How about tomorrow night? I've got Quidditch practise tonight.'

'It's too long until tomorrow night…' Albus complained. He kissed Scorpius on the neck, tickling him with his lips and tongue. 'Can't you skip Quidditch practise? Please…' He continued his kissing until Scorpius made a low moaning sound. 'Please?' he asked again, but Scorpius just laughed and shook his head.

'Not a chance! I need every Quidditch practise to keep up… Why don't you join me for dinner?'

'Well… I don't know…' Albus said, hesitating a little. He was still very uncomfortable around Scorpius's friends. They were kind to him, but he was unsure about how to behave. He thought that some of them probably knew the truth about him and Scorpius, or at least had guessed it by now, but knowing that made him feel even more awkward.

'We could sit at the Gryffindor table, if you want,' Scorpius suggested, guessing what Albus was worrying about.

'Okay,' Albus said, relieved. It was easier to be around his own friends. They walked together down to the Great Hall and seated themselves at the Gryffindor table. It was not uncommon for Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws to sit with friends from Gryffindor. It wasn't every day someone from Slytherin sat there, but if Albus's friends were surprised to see Scorpius sitting there, they didn't show it. Albus sat with Scorpius on one side and Lily on the other. Roxanne, Rose and Michael were sitting on the opposite side of the table. Roxanne busied herself with trying to catch Scorpius's eye, and although Albus knew that he didn't have anything to worry about, he was still irritated by it.

Albus was pleased to notice that Scorpius seemed to get on well with the others. The conversation went from lessons to Quidditch and the newest Nimbus broom, which was going to be released in stores just before Christmas.

'I hope I'll get the Nimbus for Christmas,' Lily said. Albus knew that she probably would. Both his parents valued good Quidditch gear, and neither James nor Lily had ever lacked a good broom.

'Yeah, me too… But I don't think I will, though. They're quite expensive,' Rose said, shaking her head.

'I think I'll get one. My father has this thing about good Quidditch equipment,' Scorpius said. 'Sometimes I think that he thinks that the broom is more important than the player…' Rose laughed at that comment.

'What if our fathers saw us now?' she said. 'They would be quite amazed, don't you think?' Everyone but Albus laughed about this. He felt a knot in his stomach. What if his father saw him now? Albus felt Scorpius's hand briefly squeeze his own under the table.

'Yeah, the times are changing,' Scorpius said with a grin. 'They'd better get used to it.'

'Al? Can I ask you something?' Michael tentatively said later that evening. The common room was almost empty apart from some third years who were playing a loud game of Exploding Snap at a table in a corner. Albus and Michael sat in the armchairs by the fireplace.

Albus looked at his friend and nodded.

'Um… I don't really know how to say this…' Michael continued. 'It's just that I've been wondering about something for a while… You know, we all thought that you were behaving a bit odd this autumn, when you were… ill and all that…'

Albus nodded. He didn't like where this conversation was heading.

'Rose doesn't tell me anything, either… And then suddenly you're so close with Scorpius…' Michael silently hid his face in his hands for a moment before continuing. 'I've seen how you look at him, and how he looks at you... You're in love, aren't you?' he asked, looking straight into Albus's face.

'Yes,' he admitted quietly. 'Yes, we are.'

'You could have told me,' Michael said, sounding a little hurt.

Albus looked down, feeling ashamed. 'I suppose. I know that I should have told you… I'm sorry,' he said. Michael was right; Albus should have trusted him with this information. 'We have been together since September,' he added.

'It's okay… I'm happy for you, really. I won't tell anyone, but I wish that you could have told me.'

'I'm sorry... I guess I was afraid,' Albus said in a low voice. 'I know I should have told you years ago that I'm gay, but I didn't dare to. I didn't know if you would be okay with being friends with me if you knew…'

'Al, please! Why wouldn't I? We've been best friends since forever!' Michael exclaimed. 'Of course I still want to be your friend. This doesn't change anything.'

'Thanks! It means a lot to me,' Albus said, smiling at him. It felt good that Michael now knew the truth, and Albus felt happy to have a best friend who accepted him as he was. Half an hour later, when Albus was about to drift off to sleep, his last coherent thought was how utterly lucky he was.


	11. Fighting

It was two days before the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch game and Albus and Scorpius were sitting in the library. Albus tried hard to concentrate on the Herbology essay he was writing, but he couldn't help touching Scorpius's knee under the table. The library was almost empty and he was sure that nobody had noticed. Scorpius leaned into him and kissed him briefly.

'Are you out of your mind?' Albus whispered. 'Anyone could see us here!'

'It was you who started it… Besides, I don't care about this secrecy anymore. Why don't we just come out and stop sneaking around?'

'You know that-' Albus said in a tired voice, withdrawing his hand. '-I don't want to have this conversation again.'

'I know you're afraid and embarrassed and all that. I know you don't want any more attention than you already get as the son of Harry Potter. I have tried, really. We have snuck around, hid, and pretended…'

Albus quickly cast a Muffliato spell, hoping that nobody had heard Scorpius.

'Scorp, listen to me…' he tried.

'No, you listen!' Scorpius said, his eyes flashing. 'I agreed to keep our relationship a secret at first, but this is getting ridiculous… Now when your siblings and cousins know, and they all support us. Why couldn't we just tell our parents too, and then stop hiding and pretending? I do love you, but I can't live like this. I can't do it anymore.'

'Look, I love you too, but…' Albus started. 'I can't tell them. I don't know how… and I don't want to tell them, anyway.'

'Very well then,' Scorpius said in a hard voice. 'Have it your way. I don't want this anymore. I'm fed up with lying and pretending. I'm just not doing it anymore.' He took his books and parchment and left.

Albus just sat there, shocked by the sudden turn of events, and stared after him. After some time. he collected his books and parchment and went back to Gryffindor Tower. He was fighting back tears, hoping not to meet anyone. The Fat Lady looked at him with concern when she let him in.

'Are you all right, dear?' she asked.

Albus mumbled something and climbed through the portrait hole. He was lucky not to meet anyone, and he went straight to bed. He and Scorpius had never had a row like that, and he didn't know how to handle it. He had never seen Scorpius angry before. It felt weird to be cross with Scorpius, but right now he was furious. How could he just say something like that and then walk away? Had Scorpius really broken up with him just like that in the library? How dare he treat him like this?

He didn't want to lose Scorpius over this, but he just wasn't ready to come out yet. It wasn't Scorpius's decision to make for him. In a way, he was jealous of Scorpius, who was so confident about who he was. Albus wasn't that courageous. Sometimes he thought about how strange it was that he had been sorted into Gryffindor in the first place. He remembered how nervous he had been on his first train ride to Hogwarts. James had scared him into thinking that he would be sorted into Slytherin, and Albus had dreaded that he would be right. It was odd, really, that the Sorting Hat had made him a Gryffindor. Maybe the hat counted family tradition in making its decisions.

Albus had trouble sleeping that night. His dreams were filled with the hard, angry voice of Scorpius, and he was additionally tormented with thoughts of both friends and complete strangers making a fool of him and laughing at him. He even saw images of his parents, both of them disappointed and angry about his behavior. He twisted and turned, but the nightmares didn't leave him at all.

The next day wasn't a good one, either. Albus had a lump in his throat all day. How could things have gone so badly? Scorpius wouldn't seek his eyes in the Great Hall during breakfast like he used to, and they didn't speak at all during Potions, only silently brewing their potions while glaring at each other. The lesson seemed to go on forever, and then it finally was over. Albus tried to put his hand on Scorpius's arm to say something, but Scorpius shook it off and turned away. Albus sighed and went to the Great Hall to have lunch.

He sat silently at the Gryffindor table together with Michael and Rose. Albus didn't have much of an appetite. The potatoes tasted like paper and he had never appreciated fish very much either.

'What's the matter with you?' Michael asked after a while.

'I don't want to talk about it,' Albus said, shuffling his potatoes around on his plate.

'Did you and Scorpius have a row?' Rose asked in a low voice. 'I saw you two acting strange during Potions.'

'Don't you get it? I don't want to talk about it,' Albus angrily said, and he stood up and left. He knew he was being unfair, but he couldn't handle their concern right now. He would probably start crying if someone was nice to him right now, and the last thing he wanted was to be seen crying in the Great Hall.

He skived off Herbology that afternoon and went to the common room instead. It was warm and cosy there and he was all alone. Albus thought about his mother. She was usually the one whom he would talk to when he felt miserable. His mum wasn't here, though, and even if she was, he wouldn't tell her. He wanted to be seven years old again. Back then, Mum would solve all his problems. It was different now that he was seventeen. As a grown-up, you had to deal with everything yourself, and right now he didn't want to be a grown-up.

Maybe he could talk to Teddy? He already knew about Scorpius, and he would understand. Then again, he knew all too well what Teddy would say. He would think that Scorpius was right, and he would try to convince Albus to tell his parents about their secret relationship.

This was not only about his parents and relatives, though. It was about everyone else, too. Albus knew that once people realised that he and Scorpius were a couple, they were going to gossip about them. Some people would look down on them, some would be disgusted, and some might even hate them. He didn't like to be the centre of attention, and he knew that there was no way that the news that Harry Potter's son was gay would pass unnoticed. Albus and his siblings had, from time to time, appeared in the papers during their youth and childhood. His father was still famous among wizards and witches, and he was frequently recognised and addressed by complete strangers. On top of that, people usually recognised Ginny Potter, the Harpies player, as well. The result of this fame was that the Potter children had been closely watched by journalists during their upbringing. They had gotten used to it through the years, of course, but Albus had never been especially fond of it. James and Lily were apparently not bothered by the attention at all. It had probably been helpful for James's Quidditch career. In Albus's eyes, the attention and fame felt threatening. He wasn't keen on reading headlines like 'Potter's son is gay' or something similar. Albus sat there by the fire, idly conjuring and levitating small feathers and watching them burn as they moved into the fireplace. He didn't hear Rose when she came into the common room, but he felt her hand on his shoulder.

'Albus,' she said, sitting down beside him. She put her arms around him, and they sat there silently for a while. It felt good to be embraced by her. Rose had always been his favourite cousin, and she usually understood and supported him.

'I talked to Scorpius,' Rose said. 'He is really upset and sad…'

'Well, so am I!' Albus interrupted. Maybe Rose wouldn't be so supportive in this after all.

'Please, let me finish! Scorpius told me that you had a row about whether to hide your relationship or not.'

'A row?' Albus spat. 'It's more like he broke up with me just because I don't want to tell everyone. It's not his decision to make!'

'I think this is really important to him,' Rose tried. 'He loves you, and he wants to be able to be with you, not just sneak around Hogwarts with you. Why can't you understand that?'

'I can, but this is important to me, too. I'm scared. I don't want to be laughed at or whispered about. I don't want people to judge us.'

'You are ashamed, then?' Rose asked.

'You sound just like him,' Albus said, leaving to go to bed. Talking to Rose hadn't helped a bit.


	12. To be honest

**Authour's note: **This short chapter is different from the rest of the story. It is told from Scorpius's point of view, just to give you glimpse of his thoughts and feelings. The following chapters will be _Albus's_ story again.

Albus isn't the first boy I've laid my eyes on. In fact, I've been admiring and dreaming about quite a few Hogwarts boys during the last two years. Albus is the first one who has responded to my sometimes subtle, sometimes more clumsy, style of flirting. I didn't dare to believe it was true at first, but as time passed, I got more and more convinced that he was, in fact, interested in me too. I've never been as happy as I've been this autumn, when I've been together with Al.

He is my first love. I want to believe that he is the one for me, the only one. Albus is not perfect, but neither am I. He is too nervous and insecure, and he has a temper that sometimes makes him snap at people and bite their head off if he thinks they are criticizing or questioning him. I guess that being Harry Potter's son has made him a little too conscious of what people might say about him. I know that he thinks that people assume that he is just like his father. That's really a lot to live up to, but to be honest - and I do like to be honest - I don't think that people generally care that much about any possible resemblance between Al and his father. Sometimes Albus thinks that the world revolves around him and his feelings, and he forgets about everyone else.

Really, though, Al is the most wonderful person I've ever known. He is smart and funny, he is caring and thoughtful, and he is the most beautiful boy I know. I didn't think that in the beginning. I remember thinking that he was good-looking, but ordinary. I've realized now that there is nothing ordinary about him. Everything about him, from his messy black hair and his lean hands, to the wrinkle that forms in his brow when he is concentrating, is stunning. I love when he is smiling, and I love how the sound of his voice makes me feel. Being with Albus is like breathing. It's equally natural, and it's equally important to me. I want to be with him forever, and I'm proud of him. I don't want to hide our love, and I don't want to be afraid of what people might think. It's dreadful to have to hide the most precious thing in my life.

I know how my father will react when I tell him about Albus. Father has a special snort that he only uses when Harry Potter is mentioned. They were in school together, and even if that was 25 years ago, it still seems to be a big deal for him. I imagine that most people would have buried the hatchet after such a long time, but there are some things Father never forgets. I know what part my father and my grandparents played during the war. That isn't something I'm especially proud of. However, I've also been told, by my grandmother mostly, that my father's dislike of Harry Potter is more on the personal level than related to the war. They disliked each other since their first year at Hogwarts.

I know that when I tell Father about Albus, he will snort, and he will look at me as if I was something to be ashamed of. He is going to say that I'm a disgrace to the Malfoy family, and he is going to insult me. Mother will not dare to say anything against him, but I do think that she will accept it after a while. It won't be easy, but I'm prepared. I'm going to tell them tomorrow after the Quidditch game. I know that it will be hard for them too, and part of me is sad that I have to disappoint them like this. It's like a double disappointment, really, because I know that for my father it will be just as bad that I'm in love with someone named Potter as it will be that I'm gay. There is no gentle way to break this to them, but I have to tell them. I've been hiding so much from them, from everyone, for so long. I can't do it any longer. I'm scared, more scared than I wanted to admit to Albus when we were talking about it, but I need to tell them.

Al doesn't want to tell anyone. I hate to do this to him, but I have to. I can't live like this. I love Albus. I love him more than anything, but I can't keep lying. Al is furious with me right now because I don't want to hide our relationship anymore. I'm quite angry with him, too, at the moment. I agreed to keep our relationship a secret at first, but I don't want to do it forever. This is getting ridiculous, especially since most of Albus's cousins and his best friend already know and approve of us being together. He still doesn't let me tell anybody, though.

I really don't like lying. Dorinda asks me on an almost daily basis if I have something going on with Albus. I hate to lie to her, and I know that she doesn't believe me when I do. She knows that I fancied Al all last year, and she has seen me flirting with him. She knows that I spend a lot of time with him too, and Dorinda isn't the oblivious type. She has to have guessed what's going on ages ago. I try to avoid the subject, but it isn't easy. I've promised Albus that I won't tell her, and now it seems that I have to either lie to Dorinda or break that promise.

I bet that she has told Jupiter too. Dorinda and Jupiter are my closest friends, and both of them know that I'm gay. I'm not very good at hiding things, so both of them have known for a long time, almost as long as I've known it myself. It was the summer before my fifth year when my parents' friends were visiting us for a week. They had twins, one boy and one girl, who were two years older than me, and who were Durmstrang students. My mother had told me about how beautiful their daughter was, almost as if she was a Veela, which she wasn't. She didn't prepare me for the beauty of their son, David, and yet he was the most stunning person I had ever met. I was mesmerised by him, and I couldn't take my eyes from him all week. I still remember every detail about him, from his lopsided smile and his light-brown hair to the way he tapped the table with his perfect fingers when we played Exploding Snap. I spent most of that week trying to admire David's sister instead, but my eyes repeatedly went from her to him. The truth is that I don't remember his sister at all. I have forgotten the colour of her hair and her eyes, and I don't even remember her name.

There had been times before that when I had admired boys, but I had tried to ignore it. After that week when David and his sister visited us, I finally admitted to myself that I'm attracted to boys. It was a difficult discovery for me, especially since I didn't know of anybody else who was like me. I spent most of that summer thinking, and when Dorinda came to visit me, I told her about it. Dorinda is perhaps the most confident and optimistic person I know. She didn't make any fuss about my news, and she helped me a lot in the process of accepting who I am.

Jupiter found out a few months later, but that was more of an accident, really. Let's just say that my tongue slipped on an occasion when we were discussing Quidditch players and I accidentally said that Adam Zabini was fit. Jupiter guessed the rest from that, I think.

People in general don't speak very much about homosexuality, at least not the people I know. I guess it is different among Muggles, but as I don't know many muggleborns myself, I don't know very much about that. There are, of course, gay wizards and witches, but it isn't something you usually speak of, at least not at Hogwarts. This means Albus really has a reason to be afraid of telling. I'm afraid too. It could be a disaster, but I can't hide this anymore. This is who I am, and I can't change. I don't even want to change.

I've been raised to cherish the values of the Malfoy family. Blood status, family lines, money and good manners are very important to both my parents. A lot of that is very old fashioned, but it's still something that I learned from a very young age. Another value that I've added to the others is honesty. I guess honesty is the one of those values that doesn't fade with time. Sometimes honesty and appearances collide, and according to my parents, one should choose appearances over honesty if necessary. I don't agree. I think honesty is more valuable than the things I've learned from my parents, and I feel that it's important that I remain honest. I'm going to fail them in every other aspect, but I will remain honest, and that means that I'm not going to fail myself.

I want to tell the truth. I may regret it later, but I'm going to tell the truth, even if it costs me my relationship with Albus. I still hope he changes his mind, though. I don't know how I will survive without him. Tomorrow is the Quidditch game, and I'm going to tell my parents afterwards. I have no idea how I'm going to concentrate on the game tomorrow. There is too much going on inside me to concentrate on catching the Snitch. I've made up my mind, and I at least I won't be lying anymore.


	13. Falling

13 Falling

It was time for the Quidditch game, and the school was gathering at the Pitch. Albus sat together with Lily and Michael. Rose was sitting with the Ravenclaws and her parents. It was Hugo's very first Quidditch game, and of course Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron wanted to be there.

Albus wasn't really watching Hugo, though. Scorpius had just walked out onto the pitch with the rest of the Slytherin team. Albus still felt hurt by him, and he didn't really know what would happen to their relationship. He could not suppress a sigh of longing, however, when he saw his gorgeous love looking all too perfect in his Quidditch robes. How could he be so beautiful?

At last, the game started. Albus tried to follow Scorpius with his eyes. Sometimes he flew out of sight, but then he found him again. Oh, how he loved that boy! Yes, he was still angry, but when he saw Scorpius fly, Albus had to admit that he would do anything to make up with him and put things right between them again.

'So,' Lily said to him teasingly. 'You finally found an interest in Quidditch, after all. Who is your favourite Seeker? Is it me or him?'

'Keep your voice down!' Albus hushed her, carefully looking around to see if anyone had heard, but fortunately it didn't seem that they had.

Albus caught a glimpse of Scorpius's parents on the Slytherin side of the Quidditch stands, and he felt his mouth go dry. He didn't know them at all, but he had heard enough about them-at least about Mr Malfoy-to be absolutely sure that he was terrified of them. What would they say if they knew that their only son was gay, and that he was involved with one of Harry Potter's sons? They would probably never accept or support their relationship… What would they say if they knew that Scorpius and Albus loved each other? How were they going to treat the two of them? How could Scorpius really believe that it was for the best to stop hiding? Oh Merlin, what would they say if they knew about the things Albus had done with their son? Albus cringed and blushed at the very thought.

He turned his eyes back to Scorpius, who looked like he had spotted the Snitch. Unfortunately, the Ravenclaw Seeker did too, and they both reached out for the Snitch high up in the air. Albus held his breath for a moment, and then he saw it. The Bludger hit Scorpius hard, and he fell from his broom. The time stopped for a second.

Albus felt paralysed from fear, and without realizing it, he let out a terrified scream. He saw Scorpius lying motionless on the ground far below him. Was this the end? How could he survive if Scorpius died? He couldn't, could he?

Albus didn't know how, but he found himself kneeling beside Scorpius in an instant. It had to be accidental magic or something, because climbing all those stairs down to the ground should have taken much longer. Albus suddenly didn't care a bit about their row, or about hiding his emotions. He knew in that instance that the only important thing in the world for him was Scorpius. He was all that mattered, Scorpius and their love. Albus scooped his unconscious body into his arms, cuddling him and kissing his face. He didn't think or care about all the students, professors, and parents watching.

Albus didn't even look up when Mr and Mrs Malfoy arrived by their son's side. He didn't let go of Scorpius, and even when Madame Pomfrey came to take Scorpius to the infirmary, he still wouldn't let go of him. She could probably tell that there was no use in trying, so Albus was allowed to follow.

Albus had visited the infirmary on numerous occasions during his time at Hogwarts. He had never been there as a patient himself, apart from after one mishap in his third year. Since he had been interested in healing and medical potions all his life, he had found reasons to visit just for the opportunity to look at the equipment there, or to ask Madame Pomfrey about things he had read in the library. He knew Madame Pomfrey quite well by now.

This was, however, the first time he had been in the infirmary without showing the slightest interest in the things around him. He had never felt so afraid before. He was sweating, but at the same time he was also shivering and freezing. What if Scorpius wouldn't wake up? What if he died, and Albus was left alone? How could he ever have thought that keeping up appearances was more important than their love? Nothing in the world meant more to him than Scorpius. He looked at the pale, yet beautiful, face he had grown to love. Scorpius looked peaceful with his grey eyes closed and an almost-smile playing at his lips. What if he never opened his eyes again? What if he had already had his last opportunity to kiss those lips? Albus sobbed and held on to Scorpius's hand.

'He is going to be alright, you know,' Madame Pomfrey said to him with a little smile. 'I've seen a lot worse. Mind you, your own father used to come here after almost every Quidditch game.' She opened a cabinet and pulled out a white bottle. 'I'm going to give him some Skele-Gro as soon as he wakes up. You can stay here with Mr and Mrs Malfoy until then,' she added, leaving the room for now.

Albus suddenly became aware of the fact that he wasn't alone with Scorpius. He looked up at Mr and Mrs Malfoy, who were glaring at him. He couldn't tell anything from their faces, but they certainly did not smile. No one said anything, and Albus continued to carefully watch Scorpius for any sign of waking up. He had been greatly relieved by Madame Pomfrey's words, but he needed to see with his own eyes that Scorpius was all right before he could relax.

They waited for an eternity-or at least it felt like one for Albus-before Scorpius stirred and his eyes fluttered open. Albus felt his heart leap, and he squeezed Scorpius's hand in both of his. Scorpius smiled up at him, and Albus felt tears of relief falling from his eyes, but he didn't care to wipe them away. Scorpius looked into his eyes for a moment and then addressed his parents.

'Mother, Father… I want you to meet Albus Potter, my boyfriend,' he said in a steady and confident voice. How could he possibly be so calm? Albus could even hear joy and pride in Scorpius's voice as he introduced him to his parents.

Scorpius's parents didn't utter a single word. They just got up and left the room. Albus felt his heart sink and he held Scorpius, who had begun to sob. Why hadn't they said anything? He didn't know what he had expected them to do, but he had certainly never pictured them just turning away and walking out. He sat by Scorpius's side, stroking his hair and trying to comfort him. He could hardly imagine how he would feel if it was his parents that had walked away from him in a situation like this. Madame Pomfrey gave Scorpius some potions and a compassionate look before giving them some privacy.

'I'm so sorry,' Albus said in a low voice, kissing Scorpius's forehead. 'I'm sorry about your parents, and I'm sorry about our argument.'

'I'm sorry too,' Scorpius told him.

'I thought that you were going to die. I've never been so afraid in my life. Scorpius, I love you more than anything.'

'I love you too,' Scorpius whispered. 'No matter how badly my parents took the news, I'm glad I told them. I can't lie to them about something as important to me as you.'

'I know. I felt the same thing, sort of, when I saw you fall and thought that you were dead. You were right all along. I don't want to hide anymore. I don't care if people know about us. I'm going to tell my parents too.'

'Ahem…' Rose came through the door. 'I kind of heard what you just said and… Well, you probably don't need to tell them… I don't believe that there is a single person at Hogwarts who hasn't realised how you feel about each other now. Scorpius, you know Albus flew down to you in an instant when you hit the ground, and he wouldn't let go of you. I guess anyone could tell that this is more than just friendship… Even my Dad saw it,' Rose said. Scorpius smiled weakly.

'Merlin! Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were there?' Albus sighed. 'What did he say?'

'I can't deny that he was a bit shocked…' Rose said. 'You know how he is about things sometimes. He'll get over it.'

'He's probably told Mum and Dad already…' Albus whispered with sudden realization.

'Yeah, probably…' Rose admitted, looking up at Madame Pomfrey, who had re-entered the room.

'Miss Weasley, Mr Potter, I think you should leave Mr Malfoy alone for a while. He really needs to rest now. I can assure you that I'm going to take good care of him. Now, off you go!'

Albus gave Scorpius one last kiss, while Rose politely pretended to be too interested in her fingernails to watch, and then reluctantly left the infirmary.

Rose and Albus walked silently together from the infirmary to Gryffindor Tower. When Albus climbed through the portrait hole into the common room, he heard the room fell silent at once. The Gryffindors had obviously been talking about him and Scorpius; it wasn't surprising, as their relationship was probably the juiciest gossip to be passed around so far this school year. Albus knew that he had to face them, but right now he only wanted to be left alone. He awkwardly attempted cross the very quiet room on his way to the stairs up to the dormitories.

'Are you and Scorpius Malfoy reallytogether?' a younger girl suddenly asked. Albus didn't remember talking to her ever before. 'Is it true?' she added eagerly.

'It is,' Albus sighed, continuing his walk toward the stairs. There was hardly any use in denying it.

'That's it!' Donald McLaggen exclaimed. 'I'm going to McGonagall!'

'What?' Albus asked, turning around in surprise. The room was still unnaturally silent, and everyone had their attention on him. Roxanne looked like she might try to kill him with her bare hands.

'I said that I'm going to McGonagall,' Donald said again. 'They can't expect us to share a dorm with him now, can they? I don't know about you all, but I sure don't want him to ogle me all the time.'

Albus was panicking now. This was exactly the kind of reaction he had been dreading. How was he ever going to cope with the prejudices of all the others? He didn't want to feel ashamed, but he did.

'Are you out of your mind?' Rose asked furiously. Her eyes held a dangerous glint and there was something intimidating in her voice. 'You have known Al since you were eleven years old, Donald!'

'That's easy for you to say! It's not you who has to share a room with him!' Donald shouted.

'Donald, you're insane!' Michael said. 'Look, Al is exactly the same person he has always been. He's our friend! You're not going to McGonagall.'

'Maybe he should go to McGonagall,' Lily piped up. 'I'm quite sure that she could teach McLaggen a lesson!'

Quite a few students laughed out loud, and Donald looked a bit embarrassed. He muttered something and sat down in an armchair in the corner. Lily put her arm around Albus and dragged him towards the dormitories. He felt exhausted, but he was grateful for the loyalty Lily, Rose and Michael had shown him. It was good to know that he had their support no matter what else might happen.


	14. Accepting?

Albus had to mentally brace himself the next morning before going down to breakfast in the Great Hall. He was painfully aware of the curious gazes from the other students around him, and he feared that he would have to go through another scene like the one with Donald McLaggen yesterday. McLaggen was thankfully nowhere to be seen, though. Lily, Rose and Michael had not left Albus's side all morning, which helped him cope with the situation. He had some tea and toast and felt almost normal again. When the morning post arrived, he recognized his father's owl. He was too nervous to take the letter from the bird, so Lily had to do it instead.

'Do you want me to read it to you?' she asked, starting to unfold it.

'No. I'll read it later,' Albus said, and he quickly took the letter from his sister. He didn't want Lily to read his letter, and he didn't want to open it in the Great Hall in front of everyone. Albus decided to skip class and go back to the safety of his dormitory before reading it. He stood up with the letter almost burning in his hand. He wanted to read it as soon as possible, and he really didn't care to finish his breakfast first.

'Al, take a look at this!' Michael said before Albus had the chance to leave. He held up the Daily Prophet.Albus took the paper from him and started to read. He had to sit down again when he realized what the article was about.

_Quidditch games at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry are always interesting. But not many of them are as interesting as the one from yesterday. During the Ravenclaw-Slytherin game, the Slytherin Seeker had a nasty fall, and several members of the crowd presumed him to be dead. The Seeker in question, Scorpius Malfoy (age 17) is the son of the well known Draco and Astoria Malfoy. _

_The dramatic fall wasn't the main interest of the audience, however, since it was immediately followed by a bit of unusual action by Albus Potter, son of Harry Potter and the celebrated former Quidditch player Ginny Potter. Potter (age 17) seems to be romantically involved with Scorpius Malfoy, or at least his behaviour suggests that the two may be more than friends. Our sources tell us that he shrieked when Malfoy fell and then kissed and caressed the unconscious boy. We can only speculate as to whether this was an act of impulsive, unrequited love, or if the boys in fact are secret lovers…_

_Scorpius Malfoy, the Seeker, is currently recovering in the school's infirmary, and we have been informed that he will likely re-join the other students in a few days. We have tried to reach his parents, but they have declined to comment. Harry Potter has also refused to comment, but Ginny Potter gave us a short statement about her wish for the boys to be left alone. She neither denied nor confirmed that her son is gay, nor did she provide us with any further information as to whether he is romantically involved with the Slytherin Seeker. The facts speak for themselves, however, or so say the hundreds of witnesses were watching yesterday's events. _

Albus put his head in his hands and tried not to panic, although he felt that the world had started spinning in a nauseous way around him. He should have known there would be something like this in the Daily Prophet today.

'Merlin!' Rose exclaimed. 'Are they serious?'

'I wonder what Mum really said,' Lily pondered. 'Probably something so bad that they didn't dare to print it.'

'Yeah, probably,' Michael agreed and laughed. Albus didn't feel like laughing, though. He was drenched in sweat and still clasping the letter from his parents in his hand. He left the others and went up to his dormitory to read the letter. He sat down on his bed and looked at the letter in his trembling hands. There were two sheets of parchment, one from his dad and one from his mum. He read his mum's letter first.

_To my brave Albus,_

_Your Uncle Ron Apparated here a few hours ago, and was rambling about you and what happened during the Quidditch Game. It seems like you gave him the shock of his life… Lily's owl has just arrived and filled us in about the details. (Lily is clearly more sensible than her Uncle… But don't you worry, he'll come around shortly, or else Aunt Hermione and I will take care of him!)_

_Albie, sweetheart, you know how much I love you, don't you? Nothing in the world could change that. You and your siblings are the most precious and important things in my life. I know that you have worried about telling us and I understand that it hasn't been easy for you. More than once over the past few months, I've thought that you wanted to tell me something. I have to admit that the thought that it could be something like this did cross my mind, but I didn't want to ask you, in case I was wrong. Maybe I should have asked you after all._

_Albus, I'm so proud of you. How brave of you to ignore the audience when Scorpius was hurt! I understand that you care a lot about him, and I'm glad that you've got someone special in your life. You deserve to be happy, and I'm sure that even if there might be narrow-minded people who will have unsavory opinions in the matter, most people will understand and support you. More importantly, however, you know that your family always will be on your side._

_Love you! Mum_

_Dearest Albus,_

_I want you to know that Mum and I love you more than anything. We have always wished for you to be happy, and from what I hear from your sister, I believe that you are very happy with Scorpius. It is true that it was somewhat of a shock for us to realise that you are in love with a boy, let alone a Slytherin boy, a Malfoy. It is true that I don't especially like his father, but I know that he isn't his father, and I trust you enough to understand that Scorpius probably isn't very much like him. Both Mum and I understand that he has to be an amazing person, because we know that you wouldn't love him otherwise. We are happy for you. _

_I'm sorry that you didn't get to tell us yourself. I hope that you haven't been afraid of telling us this. You do know that we always will stand by your side, don't you?_

_I hope that Scorpius will get better soon. (I have had a first-hand experience of undergoing treatment with Skele-Gro at Madame Pomfrey's infirmary. Give him my best!) _

_We would like to meet him too, whenever you feel ready for it. I will ask Professor McGonagall for permission for you two to floo home on a Saturday or Sunday soon._

_Love, Dad_

_PS Grandpa and Grandma send their love too. I know that Grandma Molly is preparing a parcel of homemade sweets to send you…!_

Albus leaned back onto his bed and sighed with relief after reading the letters from his parents, both of whom seemed to understand him and support him. He was pleased that they accepted him and happy that his parents were so supportive and loving. In the long run, that was far more important than anything the Daily Prophet had to say about him.

The following days were overwhelming. Scorpius had to stay a few days in the infirmary and Albus tried to visit as much as possible. Madame Pomfrey was kind and let him visit as much as he wanted to. Scorpius didn't want to talk about how his parents had reacted. Albus understood and avoided the subject.

Hogwarts was full of rumours and Albus knew that a lot of people were whispering about him and Scorpius. But there were also quite a few people - not only their friends, but also people they hardly knew - who let Albus know that they accepted and approved of him dating Scorpius. Uncle Neville had patted him on the shoulder and told him that he was happy for them and asked how Scorpius was recovering. Even Professor McGonagall had winked at him and smiled when she saw him.

Roxanne was treating him a bit coldly, but according to Lily, that was more out of jealousy than anything else. She had harboured a crush on Scorpius for quite some time and she was not overly pleased to find that Scorpius was not only gay, but also in love with her cousin. Albus could hardly blame her for that, but he hoped that she would overcome it in time. Even Donald McLaggen seemed to have calmed down, though Albus felt sure that he tried to avoid him. He could live with that.

The amount of whispering and the curious looks from the other students, and from some of the professors too, increased when Scorpius finally was allowed to leave the infirmary. Albus wasn't sure about how to behave in public with Scorpius, but it didn't seem to be a problem for Scorpius. He just took Albus's hand as they walked into the Great Hall during breakfast, ignoring the others watching them. They sat down together at the Gryffindor table with Albus's cousins and friends, and Scorpius chatted with them as usual. When they had to separate to go to their different classes, Albus got a hug and a quick kiss from Scorpius, who disappeared and left Albus blushing and a bit embarrassed with the other Gryffindors. He was happy that none of the others tried to tease him about that.

Albus's first class that day was Herbology, and so he walked down to the greenhouses together with Rose and Michael. The rain was pouring down, but Rose was luckily very good at drying charms, and she insisted on removing the rainwater from everyone as they entered the greenhouse. While she performed her magic, Albus overheard two Hufflepuff girls gossiping about him and Scorpius..

'It's true, Emily saw them _kissing_ in the Great Hall this morning!' one of them said.

'Really? I mean, it's one thing if they are… um… dating, but _kissing in public!_' the other one replied and rolled her eyes. 'Not everyone wants to see _that_ during breakfast…'

Albus felt himself panic. This was exactly why he had wanted their relationship to stay a secret. He turned around and was about to walk out in the rain again when Rose grabbed his arm firmly.

'No, stay,' she said. 'You should not miss out on classes just because they're prejudiced.' Michael nodded, and he approached the girls.

'Honestly, how can you say something like that?' he asked them. 'Does it really bother you that much when people kiss in front of you? I've kissed Rose in the Great Hall in front of everyone hundreds of times, and I've never heard anyone complain about that.'

'You know what I mean!' the girl said, rolling her eyes again. 'That's not the same thing!'

'Oh, yes it is!' Professor Longbottom suddenly snapped. 'It's exactly the same thing. Why would it matter to you if it is two boys kissing instead of a girl and a boy? It's none of your business!'

The girl fell silent as the professor spoke. It was most unusual for professors to interfere in the arguments of the students.

'Okay, class,' the professor continued as if nothing had happened. 'I'm going to show you an extremely rare plant today…'

Albus felt embarrassed by the scene, but he tried to calm down and concentrate on the lesson. It was good to know that even if there were ignorant people judging him and Scorpius, there were also plenty of other people, including both students and professors, who were on their side.

By lunchtime, he felt confident enough to sit together with Scorpius at the Slytherin table. It was strange but marvellous to be able to sit beside Scorpius without pretending. He was way too shy to show any affection during lunch with the Slytherins, but he was able to sit together with his boyfriend and Scorpius's friends. Scorpius was the centre of attention. Everyone talked about his fall during the game, and how lucky it was that he hadn't been seriously hurt. Nobody mentioned that Slytherin had lost the game because of the fall.

'It was a nasty fall,' Scorpius's friend Dorinda said. 'I thought you were dead at first.'

'Yeah, me too,' a freckled dark-haired boy named Jupiter agreed. 'Good thing you survived, though,' he added with a smile.

'So…' Dorinda said with a twinkle in her eyes. 'I guess this means that we finally get this relationship thing settled. I've been asking Scorp forever if he had something going on with you, Albus, but he wouldn't tell me…'

'Ehm… okay,' Albus said, feeling his face go warm. Scorpius put his arm around him and briefly kissed his cheek.

'Yeah, you have been quite annoying, really, Dor. I told you I would tell you eventually,' Scorpius said. 'We just wanted to wait a while, didn't we, Al?'

Albus smiled shyly, and he felt Scorpius's arm hugging him more tightly in response.

'You didn't fool me,' Dorinda said mockingly. 'I was right all the time.'

'Even I guessed that there was something going on,' Jupiter added. 'You're pretty obvious sometimes. I mean, Potions class and all…'

Albus felt embarrassed, but Scorpius only laughed and made a face at Jupiter.

'Doesn't it feel good not to have to pretend anymore?' Dorinda asked.

'It does. I mean, we didn't exactly plan it this way, but I'm relieved that I don't have to lie anymore,' Scorpius said.

'Do you think so too?' Dorinda asked Albus, who felt a bit startled to be dragged into the conversation.

'Yeah, I guess it's good, in a strange way,' Albus said. 'It's pretty scary, too,' he admitted.

'Look, I know that there are ignorant people out there,' Dorinda said. 'But honestly, do you think that anybody would dare to mess with you two when they know that both Jupiter and I and all those zillions of cousins of yours would defend you?'

'She is right, you know,' Scorpius said, and Albus was surprised to find that he believed them. Maybe everything would turn out just fine after all.


	15. Forgetting

Albus was happy to see the gossip about him and Scorpius decrease over the next few weeks. Their fellow students had found other things to gossip about, and he and Scorpius would soon pass like almost any other Hogwarts couple, or at least people wouldn't stare or whisper loudly about them anymore. Albus was sure that there still were people who disapproved of them dating, but as long as they kept their opinions to themselves, it didn't matter very much to him. Albus's immortal shyness, however, ensured that their relationship remained quite discreet. Although they were seen holding hands or exchanging quick hugs from time to time, they seldom kissed in public like many other couples. All in all, it was great for Albus and Scorpius to be able to be together without hiding their feelings.

Albus's parents had asked him to bring Scorpius home to meet them, but he wanted to delay it as long as possible. Even if they said in the letter that they wanted to meet Scorpius, he still felt awkward about introducing his boyfriend to his parents. He wanted to do it eventually, but he thought that it was still too soon. He told his parents that they had really busy weekends, which wasn't a lie, not really. The amount of studying he was doing now exceeded all his previous Hogwarts years put together, or at least it seemed that way.

When the time came for the December Hogsmeade visit, Albus and Scorpius walked hand in hand through Hogsmeade, just like any other teenage couple. Albus felt his mood brighten as they browsed the stores for suitable Christmas presents. He loved Christmas, and he wanted to find the perfect present for everyone. He wanted to give his family and close friends thoughtful and special gifts this year. Albus knew how lucky he was to have friends and family who really cared, and he wanted to somehow pay them back for their kindness. The result was that he had to visit all of the village's shops at least twice, due to his difficulty in deciding what to buy. Scorpius finished his shopping rather rapidly, however, and then quickly got bored.

'Which one do you think my Grandma would like best?' Albus asked, holding up two almost identical pairs of dragon-hide gardening gloves.

'How would I know? I haven't even met her,' Scorpius said impatiently. 'Just buy both, so can we go and get Butterbeers.'

'I'm not finished yet! I still have to find something for Rose, and for James, and I'm not sure about that Quidditch book I bought for Lily. Do you think I should return it and find her something else?'

'Calm down, please…' Scorpius said, putting his hands on Albus's shoulders. 'Can't we at least take a break? We could go to the Hogs Head or the Three Broomsticks and finish shopping later.'

'I can't. You know I have a big family, and I want to give them each something special. Just because you only had four gifts to buy…' he said, and then he suddenly fell silent. That was a mean thing to say. Scorpius had bought presents for a few friends, but none for his family, as Scorpius's parents had still not been in touch with him since the game. Albus had tried to talk to Scorpius about it, but he constantly changed the subject whenever his parents were mentioned. Albus knew that he was sad, but Scorpius tried to pretend that it didn't matter to him. Albus wanted to help him somehow, but there wasn't much he could do. He had even secretly written a letter to Mr and Mrs Malfoy, pleading them to understand and forgive Scorpius, but they had never responded. He felt angry on Scorpius's behalf, and he was horrified at how any parents could treat their child like that. No matter how afraid he had been to tell his own parents, he had never imagined that they would pretend like he didn't exist. Albus was certain that he would never forgive the Malfoys for ignoring Scorpius.

'I'm sorry,' Albus said, hugging him. 'I didn't mean it like that.'

'It's okay,' Scorpius said, but Albus could see in his eyes that it wasn't.

'Come here, love,' he said, holding Scorpius close. 'I'm sorry. I know they'll change their minds eventually… Come on, let's get those Butterbeers now, shall we?' he added with a soft kiss, ignoring the inquiring look from the elderly shop assistant.

Albus quickly paid for the gloves, and then they went to the Three Broomsticks to get some Butterbeers. It was crowded there, a sure sign that the Hogwarts students were visiting Hogsmeade. Albus caught a glimpse of his sister cuddling with a boy whose name he did not know. They were too absorbed in each other to notice Albus and Scorpius. James would probably give her a hard time about that new boyfriend during the Christmas holidays, Albus thought with a half-smile. The update on Lily's love life was bound to reach James soon through one relative or another.

There were no vacant tables, but Albus spotted some of his younger cousins, Lucy, Hugo and Roxanne, sitting together, and the two boys squeezed in with them.

'Have you gotten your invitations to Dominique's New Year's Eve party?' Lucy asked, and they all nodded enthusiastically. Dominique usually threw a party on New Year's Eve, and knowing her, the party undoubtedly would be sparkling and fabulous. Uncle George always gave them large amounts of fireworks, and Dominique had the ability to make spectacular decorations and menus. Albus was more than content with the fact that he was bringing Scorpius as his date this year.

'I'm so happy that I'm finally old enough to get an invitation…' Lucy continued excitedly, and Roxanne agreed.

'Yeah, it's cool to finally be going to the party instead of being stuck at the Burrow with the grown-ups,' Roxanne chimed in. Albus had been unsure about how Roxanne would react when they sat down at the table, knowing how jealous she had been a few weeks ago, but it seemed like she had accepted the facts at last. 'Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?' she asked. If she still was hurt, she hid it well in her cheerful voice.

'I am. Al's not,' Scorpius said with a sigh.

'That's hardly news… You always finish last, Al,' Lucy said. 'Lily told me you had to floo to Diagon Alley on Christmas morning last year.'

'Yeah, but I won't do that again… The shops are closed on Christmas morning…' Albus admitted with a dumb grin, making them all laugh.

'Then you showed up at our place begging Dad for some last minute Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products to wrap up as Christmas gifts,' Roxanne filled in, and everyone laughed again.

'I'm doing it properly this year,' Albus said. 'At least I'm trying.'

'You certainly are,' Scorpius smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

The weeks went by without a word from the Malfoys. Scorpius still didn't want to talk about it, but his mood dropped noticeably as the time passed. Albus wasn't sure what to do, except to just be there for him. It was hard to see how sad Scorpius was and not be able to help.

Albus was studying Herbology in the library alone one evening when Scorpius's friend Dorinda sat down beside him. He was a little surprised at first to see her, because he and Dorinda had never talked without Scorpius there before.

'Hi,' he said, curious about what she might have to say.

'Hi. Look, I wanted to speak to you about Scorp,' she said. 'I'm a bit worried about him, to be honest.'

'Yeah, me too, really. I can't believe how his parents treated him. Did he tell you how they just left the infirmary when he told them that we were together?'

'I know, and they don't answer his letters either…' Dorinda said. 'The thing is, I don't think that's what's troubling him the most.'

'It isn't?' Albus asked, confused. 'What is it, then?'

'Haven't you noticed how he starts sulking every time Christmas is mentioned?'

'Oh, Merlin!' Albus exclaimed, suddenly discovering how oblivious he had been. 'Why didn't I think of that before? Poor Scorp, he doesn't know where he'll be spending the Christmas holidays….excuse me, I've got to go and owl my parents about that.'

Albus quickly scribbled a note to his parents asking them to let Scorpius stay with them during the holidays. He ran up to the Owlery, and then down towards the Slytherin common room to find Scorpius. Albus had to wait outside the entrance for some time until someone from Slytherin would come by and let him in. As he waited, he silently swore to himself. How could he be so ignorant? He had to make this up to Scorpius, and he had no time for his parents to respond to his letter. He was sure they would agree to let Scorpius stay with them. If they didn't, well, he wouldn't come either.

When Albus finally got into the common room and found Scorpius, he flung himself into the boy's arms, ignoring the other Slytherins around them.

'Scorpius, please, I'm so sorry!' he rambled. 'I don't know why I didn't think of it… I'm so selfish and ignorant…'

'Al?' Scorpius asked, bemused. 'What happened? Are you all right?'

'Yeah, I'm all right… But I'm sorry!'

'I get that. What are you sorry for?' Scorpius asked impatiently.

'Christmas! I'm sorry about Christmas. I mean… Do you want to stay with us during Christmas?' he finally finished. Scorpius smiled warmly towards him, drew him close, and kissed him on the mouth, despite the audience.

'Albus, you're truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you,' Scorpius whispered in his ear, before leading Albus away from the common room to somewhere more private.


	16. Introducing

**16 Introducing**

Albus and Scorpius were sitting in a compartment with Lily, Hugo, Rose and Michael on the Hogwarts Express. Albus could sense that Scorpius was nervous, and he had to admit that he was a bit nervous, too. What if his parents didn't like Scorpius after all? What if it would be awkward and strange to be with Scorpius around his parents?

The train was just about to stop at King's Cross. Most students were busy collecting their things and looking for their parents through the windows. Albus caught Scorpius in a tight embrace just before they were about to go out on the platform.

'Are you ready?' he whispered. Scorpius nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

'Come on,' Lily said. 'Don't just stand there! We have to find Mum and Dad, don't we?' She led the way out onto the platform and the boys followed. Scorpius let go of Albus's hand as they made their way through the crowd of hugging families.

'Dad!' Lily yelled, running into her father's arms, and Albus found himself in a bone-crushing hug from his mother. She held him tightly for what felt like forever. It felt so good to be so close to Mum after everything he had gone through so far this term, and Albus had to fight back tears. He would certainly not cry because of this in front of Scorpius. He had to mildly push his mother away, at which point he noticed that Lily already had introduced Scorpius to their father.

'Mum, I want you to meet Scorpius,' he said, feeling both nervous and proud.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Potter,' Scorpius said. Albus could hear the anxiety in Scorpius's voice. His mum probably could too, because she gave him a hug and a warm smile.

'Please, call me Ginny! I'm really glad to finally meet you too!'

They went to their car and started the drive home. Scorpius was still nervous and quiet, but Lily's constant chattering made sure that there were no embarrassing silences. Albus sat in the middle in the backseat of the car and felt utterly happy. This Christmas would probably be his best one ever.

Albus had been a bit worried that Scorpius and his parents wouldn't get along. He soon discovered that he didn't have to worry about that at all. Scorpius, Lily, Ginny and Harry discussed Quidditch non-stop during dinner the first night at home. Albus usually tried to block those Quidditch discussions out, but this time he enjoyed listening. Ginny told them stories from her days at the Harpies, and although Albus had heard them dozens of times before, he enjoyed hearing them again with Scorpius, who seemed genuinely interested.

They sat in the living room after dinner. Lily and Ginny were talking quietly by the fire and Harry looked half asleep in his armchair. Albus and Scorpius played a game of Wizard's Chess. Scorpius took the game much more seriously than Albus. Albus wasn't very competitive, but Scorpius surely was. Albus tried to cheat once or twice, and he constantly tried to distract Scorpius. He kept talking to him when it was his turn and distracting him by touching him or by giving Scorpius his special smile. Scorpius didn't return his flirting at all.

'Stop cheating!' Scorpius said when Albus interrupted his concentration by touching his knee under the table.

'I'm not cheating!' Albus answered with his most innocent voice.

'Oh, yes, you are! There's no use playing Wizard's Chess at all if you can't concentrate on the game.'

'What? It's not me who can't concentrate, now is it?' Albus teased.

'Don't mind him!' Lily said to Scorpius. 'He could never take any game seriously. You just have to get used to it!' Albus made a face towards his sister, and Harry looked up from his armchair and smiled.

'I guess Lily has got a point there. He doesn't take games seriously and he doesn't play Quidditch. But that's our Albus, and we love him anyway, don't we?' Harry said and glanced at Scorpius, who blushed a bit, not really wanting to be the center of attention. He was saved by Ginny, who said that it was late and that it really was time to sleep, especially after the long train ride from Hogwarts.

Albus had hoped that Scorpius would be allowed to sleep in his room, but the bed in the guest room had been made up for him. They had a few moments alone before going to bed, because Albus just had to make sure that Scorpius got enough blankets, pillows and towels.

'Only two minutes, Al!' said his mother with a smile.

They used those two (maybe five?) minutes well. Albus had been longing for Scorpius all day. Sure, they had been together, but it wasn't the same with his family around. Apart from his attempts to distract Scorpius during the game of Wizard's Chess, he hadn't as much as held Scorpius's hand since they got off the train. They held each other now and kissed softly.

'I'm glad you are here,' Albus whispered.

'Me too. Your parents are wonderful. You don't know how lucky you are.'

'Maybe I do,' he said, pulling Scorpius close. 'I'm lucky I've got you.'

'Albus!' his mother called through the door. 'I told you two minutes, didn't I?'

'I can't believe it!' Albus sulkily muttered. 'She's treating me like a child. Doesn't she know that I'm almost eighteen?' He held on to Scorpius for a moment, giving him one last kiss.

'Good night, then. I love you!'

The next day was filled with Christmas preparations. Lily, who was the only one who was still underage, complained because she had to do her chores without magic. Albus just laughed at her, but Scorpius helped her with most of her work. Albus and Scorpius worked together all day, stealing kisses whenever they could. Lily, who was with them most of the time, just rolled her eyes and laughed at them. Scorpius was relaxed in front of Lily, but despite being the one who had wanted them to go public with their relationship at Hogwarts, Scorpius wasn't comfortable with them showing any affection in front of Albus's parents.

James came home that afternoon with Jennifer and they had a great family dinner together. Jennifer and James got along with Scorpius just as well as Mr. and Mrs. Potter did, and Albus felt satisfied that they all seemed to like each other. That made everything much less complicated than he had imagined it to be. Albus looked at Scorpius, who was chatting with Jennifer and James about some new racing broom. He suddenly looked so adorable, and Albus was filled with pride and joy at the very thought of his luck. He wanted to reach out to Scorpius and kiss him right now and right here, but he held back, knowing that Scorpius would be embarrassed. He smiled instead, and as he let out a small sigh, he noticed his mother observing him. Their eyes met and she smiled knowingly at him.

James resumed his old habit of good-natured mocking and teasing his siblings. As soon as they had finished their dinner, he asked Lily about her latest boyfriend, and as usual she was told that she really was too young to date.

'What are you, like fourteen, and you have already kissed half the boys at Hogwarts. '

'I'm fifteen! And you can't say anything!' Lily yelled at him. 'It's not like you didn't go out with at least as many girls before you met Jennifer! Besides, I don't hear you complaining about Albus snogging Scorpius whenever he gets the chance! He can barely take his hands off of him for a second. It's just me who can't see anybody, isn't that right? You are so unfair!' she screamed, furiously making her way to her room.

They could hear her door slam from upstairs. Both Jennifer and Scorpius looked a bit appalled, and the two of them quickly disappeared to the kitchen and busied themselves with helping Harry with the dishes. James just shrugged.

'James!' Ginny scolded. 'Can't you see that you hurt her feelings? I remember just how hard it was to have all those brothers trying to protect me. Don't do that to her!' She angrily followed Lily upstairs to comfort her.

'Smooth, Jamie…' Albus said. 'That's the Christmas spirit and all.' The brothers were now left alone in the dining room.

'Yeah,' James said. 'I didn't mean it like that. She is so sensitive… Anyway, Scorpius is really nice, considering.'

'Considering what?'

'I mean, being a Slytherin and all… But I guess Lily's got it wrong, I don't see you snogging all the time. You have hardly looked at each other at all…' James said, quizzically looking at Albus. 'Oh, I see… You're shy, aren't you? Maybe I should help you,' he continued with a grin. Albus looked puzzled, not really knowing what James meant. He was soon to find out, though.

When Lily came back downstairs, still glaring at James, they all moved to sit down in the living room. Albus found that Scorpius was standing under the mistletoe. He decided not to let that opportunity pass, so he gave him a quick kiss, letting their lips barely touch.

'Not here! I can't kiss you in front of your parents!' Scorpius hissed, and his eyes got wide as he saw the amused looks from the Potters.

'Well, don't stand under the mistletoe then!' Albus teasingly said. Scorpius looked up and blushed.

'I didn't realise…' he said.

James was grinning widely and whispering something to Jennifer. Oddly enough, mistletoe kept appearing over Albus and Scorpius all evening. Albus was a bit annoyed with James because Scorpius was clearly embarrassed by his pranks, but he couldn't really be upset with his brother. It was not long ago that he had dreaded his big brother's reaction to his relationship, and he had to admit that having James conjuring mistletoe wasn't that bad after all.


	17. Celebrating

**17 Celebrating**

Christmas morning arrived, and Albus tiptoed to the guest room to wake Scorpius up. It was early, and hopefully the rest of the family would sleep for a bit longer, as they had all stayed up late the night before. Albus quietly pushed the door open and snuck in. He tried not to wake Scorpius as he laid down beside him. He looked so peaceful and lovely in his sleep, and Albus just had to kiss him softly. Scorpius stirred, moaned and kissed him back.

'Mmm… This is how I like to wake up…' he said in a husky voice. Albus snuggled close to Scorpius and let out a happy sigh. They kept kissing, slowly and softly at first, but soon the kisses became more demanding and heated. Albus felt his mind and body rush. He was together with Scorpius in his parents' guest room, with his family all too close. It was one thing to make love in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, but another thing here in his family's guest bed. Yet, it didn't seem to matter, because Scorpius was the only one he longed for, cared for and wanted so badly. Albus was hypnotised by his warmth, his scent, and his perfect body, which was so close to him under the duvet.

'Al?' Scorpius panted. 'Are you sure? I mean, your parents are just down the hall.' Albus was clearly not the only one worrying. Albus quickly got his wand and muttered a few spells at the door. Now there was nothing stopping them and no reasons to hold back. Nothing could be more right than this; nothing was more beautiful or more real.

'Happy Christmas,' Scorpius whispered afterwards, when he had caught his breath again. 'I love you.'

'I love you too. This has to be my happiest Christmas ever,' Albus whispered back and kissed him. As they were kissing Albus felt the tears that were falling from Scorpius eyes.

'What's the matter, love? Scorp, what is it?' he asked.

'It's just that I wanted to say that this is my happiest Christmas ever too, but it can't be. I mean, it should be, but how could I be really happy this Christmas when my parents obviously hate me? I haven't heard a word from them since the Quidditch match.'

'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad! I just wanted to say how wonderful it is for me to have you here with me this Christmas morning… I didn't want to hurt you.'

'I know you didn't, and I'm happy too. This isn't your fault. It's my stupid parents' fault. I'd like to hate them, but I can't. They're my mother and father, and I want them to understand and accept me… Like your parents do.'

They were silent for a while, just cuddling close to each other. Albus had almost fallen asleep when Scorpius suddenly sat up.

'Listen!'

Everybody else was awake now, judging from the sounds from the corridor. Albus was quickly wide awake. How could he possibly get out of the guest room and back to his own room without anyone noticing? He fumbled with his pyjamas and listened by the door. He snuck out of the guest room when he thought it was safe and got out in the hallway. He almost ran into James, who smirked and winked at him. After a quick shower he got back to his own room to dress.

'I was looking all over for you!' Lily exclaimed, barging into his room before he even had time to dress.

'I was just taking a shower,' Albus said, blushing.

'No, I checked both your room and the bathroom before… I wanted you to see what I got from Mum and Dad… Oh, I see. You were with Scorpius, right?' she said and blushed even harder than Albus. 'Don't worry, I won't tell anyone… Besides, I don't think Jennifer slept in her bed at all tonight either. She wasn't there yesterday when I got to sleep, and her bed was already made when I woke up too… It's good for you and James that I am such a good and caring little sister, isn't it?' Lily babbled, and then she quickly disappeared. Albus finished dressing and went downstairs.

They ate Christmas breakfast together and opened presents in the living room. Lily was singing Christmas carols, the wireless was playing Christmas music, and Harry was humming yet another song. James and Jennifer sat close together, giving the impression of not caring about anything but each other. Albus knew that feeling. He had been quite impatient with his brother and Jennifer last summer, but he didn't mind them at all now. He looked at Scorpius, who was sitting across the room talking to Ginny. Scorpius caught his eye and gave him one of those flirty smiles that always made Albus feel warm and fuzzy. He was really the happiest boy alive.

All Weasley and Potter relatives were going to the Burrow later to enjoy one of Grandma Molly's traditional Christmas dinners. Albus and Scorpius sat in the living room, waiting for the rest of the family to change and get prepared to Floo over to the Burrow. Scorpius was a little nervous to meet so many of Albus's relatives, even if he already knew most of the Weasley cousins from school. Suddenly, they heard a tap at the window and a large grey owl appeared. Scorpius got up at once.

'It's Penny! She's my mother's owl!' he said, stroking the owl affectionately. Penny had brought a small parcel and a letter. Albus sat beside Scorpius as he silently read it. He waited for Scorpius to finish reading, not knowing what to expect. Scorpius handed the letter over to Albus to read.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_I want you to know that I love you, and that I miss you. I am still sad and disappointed, but I am not upset with you. I believe that you can't help it. I am going to do my best to accept the fact that you are seeing a boy. I just need some time to adjust. _

_Father is still very angry and he refuses to talk about it at all. He doesn't know that I am sending you this, but how could a mother not send her only son a little something at Christmas? _

_Scorpius, can you forgive me for how I have been treating you these past weeks? Please tell Albus I am sorry too. We were horribly rude to him at the infirmary. I can only blame it on the shock._

_Merry Christmas to you from Mother_

Albus didn't know what to say. Mrs Malfoy wasn't overwhelmingly approving, but she certainly did sound more reasonable than Albus had expected. Scorpius seemed happy enough, though, and Albus responded to his rather enthusiastic hugging and kissing. They were soon interrupted by Ginny when she entered the living room. Scorpius and Albus hastily flew apart.

'Don't stop on my account,' Ginny said with a wink. 'I'm fairly used to teenagers snogging around the house, you know. Merlin, one has to be if one is the mother of James… And I hope that both of you know by now that both Dad and I fully approve of you two dating. It doesn't make any difference to us if you are kissing a boy or a girl, Al, as long as you are happy.'

'Thanks, Mum!' Albus said. 'I love you!'

Ginny hugged both of them, just before the rest of the family arrived and it was time to leave.

The Weasley Christmas party was loud and cheerful, as usual. There were lots of relatives present, most of them red-haired. Although Scorpius knew most of the youths from Hogwarts, there were still many introductions to be made. Albus felt oddly proud when his boyfriend met his aunts and uncles. His grandparents had warmly greeted Scorpius, and Grandma Molly had even knitted a sweater for him.

'Hello Scorpius!' Rose said, hugging both him and Albus. 'It's indeed brave of you to join one of our crazy Weasley gatherings.'

'Don't scare him!' Teddy said with a grin. 'Most of us are relatively harmless.'

Aunt Hermione smiled at them and introduced herself and Uncle Ron. Albus could tell that Uncle Ron was trying his very best to act normal but that he thought the situation was very awkward. Albus wasn't sure if it was the fact that Scorpius was a boy or the reminder that he was the son of Draco that disturbed Uncle Ron the most.

Albus and Scorpius sat with the other youths at the end of the table. Albus could tell that Scorpius was far more comfortable with the teenagers than with Albus's many uncles and aunts. It was not very surprising, really, but it was nice to see Scorpius relaxed again. Scorpius was talking and joking with Albus's siblings and cousins and Albus had that feeling of utmost happiness again. It was so strange that being with Scorpius did this to him – especially being with Scorpius like this, openly among others, just like any other couple. How wrong he had been to think that they ought to keep this astounding love a secret! Albus did not talk very much. He couldn't help looking at Scorpius, not believing his own luck. Their knees were touching under the table, and Albus couldn't resist leaning into Scorpius, giving him a kiss on the cheek at one point during the meal. Lily and James exchanged amused looks.

'There's no need for conjured mistletoes today?' James mockingly asked.

'Shut up!' Albus said with a rude gesture to his older brother. He questioningly sought Scorpius's eyes and got a mischievous grin in return from his boyfriend. Albus then put his arms around Scorpius and kissed him fully on the mouth. Albus felt his face flush a little when he heard a wolf whistle from Fred and an audible gasp from Uncle Ron as they broke the kiss.

'You two are worse than James and Jennifer!' Lily exclaimed. 'You are scaring poor Uncle Ron to death,' she added with a chuckle.

'He'll live,' Rose said.

'One never knows,' Hugo teasingly said to his sister. 'Maybe this really is too much for Dad now, seeing as you and Michael already gave him quite a shock this morning…' Michael buried his face in his hands, but Rose just laughed and made a face towards Hugo.

After dinner they were dragged away by Roxanne, who wanted them to have a look at her new broomstick. Scorpius was immediately absorbed in the eager discussion of this apparently amazing new broom. Albus, who didn't share their enthusiasm, sat down on the living room couch instead.

'I'm so happy for you,' Aunt Hermione beamed at him. 'I can see that Rose was telling the truth when she told me about how you have changed lately. You're glowing now. Even Ron had to admit it.'

Albus didn't really know what to say. Aunt Hermione was probably right, as usual. He just smiled at his aunt. Harry came over to them and sat down beside Albus, putting his arm around him with a smile.

'My thoughts exactly, Hermione. I don't think I have ever seen you like this, Albus, and I bet Scorpius is just as happy. He should be.'

Albus remembered his talk with Scorpius from the morning. He knew that he was really lucky to have such a supportive and loving family.

'Scorpius has a rough time with his parents though,' he said, with a glance toward the door. He wasn't sure whether Scorpius would allow him to speak about this or not. Aunt Hermione and Dad exchanged a concerned look.

'Mr Malfoy is not very accepting and tolerant…' Albus continued with a sigh. 'Scorp hadn't heard a single word from his parents since the Quidditch game. Both he and I have been writing to them, but they didn't answer for a while. I feel so sorry for Scorpius, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your acceptance… At least he got a letter from his mother today. I think she has begun to understand. It meant a lot to Scorp, but his father is apparently still angry with him. He probably hates me.'

Harry was muttering something under his breath and Aunt Hermione gave him a warning frown, but Harry didn't mind her.

'That bloody Malfoy prat! How could he treat his child like that?' Harry angrily said.

'Harry,' Hermione said. 'I can't understand him either. I mean, he is clearly being prejudiced and intolerant, but he's Scorpius's father and there's no need for you to use such language!'

Albus smiled weakly at his aunt. Harry calmed down a bit and continued.

'I like Scorpius. He's a decent kid,' Harry said. 'I have to admit that I was somewhat bothered at first by how much he resembles Draco, but I know now that it's just on the outside. Scorpius hasn't got a trace of that snide and sarcastic tone that Draco always had, and I can see that he is a warm and caring person.'

'Yes, I think so too,' Hermione filled in. 'Plus, anyone could see that he's really fond of you. It's heart-warming to see you two. It's really sad that Draco don't approve of it.'

'Maybe I could talk to him,' Harry said. 'I could give it a try, anyway.'

'Just don't say anything stupid,' Aunt Hermione warned. 'You don't want to make things any worse, do you?'

'Actually, Aunt Hermione, how much worse could it get?' Albus asked. 'I mean he hasn't talked to Scorpius since November… Dad, please try to talk to him. It's worth a try, at least. I know how much it would mean to Scorpius. But I think that we probably should keep this discussion to ourselves.'

'And don't hex him!' Aunt Hermione added, just as Scorpius entered the room again.


	18. Wishing

**18 Wishing**

They had a couple of peaceful days after Christmas Day. Boxing Day was normally one of Albus's favourite days of the year; they lazily ate sweets and played games, and with Scorpius present, Albus thought that it was even better than usual.

Harry was going to work again three days after Christmas. He had told Albus that he would try to speak to Mr Malfoy first thing after he returned. Albus hadn't told Scorpius about his talk with Harry and Aunt Hermione. There was no need to tell him, really… But Albus had started to have second thoughts. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea after all. He knew that Harry and Mr Malfoy had to cooperate at work sometimes, and that even if they didn't especially like each other, they were not opponents like they had been when they were at Hogwarts. This matter, though, wasn't an everyday work issue. What if Dad really couldn't keep his temper? Maybe he would infuriate Mr Malfoy even more!

Albus slept uneasily and woke up early in the morning on the day that his father was going to talk to Mr Malfoy. He realized with a sigh that there was no use in trying to get back to sleep, so he decided to get dressed and have an early breakfast instead. He went down to the kitchen and made himself some toast. The tea was still warm, but the kitchen was empty. He could hear his mother humming from the laundry room next to the kitchen, and he went to find her.

'Morning,' Albus said, jumping up to sit on a free spot on the table they used to fold and sort the clean laundry. He took a bite from his toast and put his cup of tea on the table beside him.

'Good morning!' Mum said. 'Don't you dare spill that tea on the clean shirts!'

'Mum! I'm not a child anymore!' Albus sighed, and he rolled his green eyes.

'I know. But still…' Ginny said, and she stopped folding clothes long enough to touch his cheek for a brief moment. 'You just missed Dad.'

'Yeah… Do you think he's going to talk to Mr Malfoy?' Albus asked, even if he knew the answer.

'You're quite nervous, aren't you?' his Mum asked.

'I am,' Albus said. 'There's nothing I would want more right now than for Scorpius's parents to understand and accept our relationship. I know that he misses them a lot.'

'Of course he does.'

'Can you believe how they treated him in the infirmary after he fell at the Quidditch game? They just stared at us and left. They looked at us like we were vermin or something, and then they didn't even reply to the letters Scorp sent. How can parents do that to their child? It's like they don't even care about him at all!' Albus said, visibly upset. He always got angry when he thought about how Scorpius's parents had behaved.

'I'm sure they love him.' Ginny tried to calm him down.

'Why don't they show him that, then?' Albus spat.

'Al, please! I'm on your side, remember?' Mum said.

'I know… Sorry, Mum!' Albus said, jumping down from the table and walking over to give her a hug. 'I know you are. I'm glad you and Dad are so supportive.'

'Albie, love…' Mum said softly in a quiet voice, and she hugged him back. Albus usually protested vividly when she called him by his old nickname, which he had possessed since he was a toddler, but he didn't mind today. They held each other for a moment. Albus had never seen his mother cry, but could almost feel her sniffling now.

'Can you pair the socks for me?' Ginny then said briskly. They worked together silently for a while. Albus used his wand to match and roll up the socks while his mother dried clothes with a spell. He was contented with the fact that Scorpius spent the holidays with them, but it was nice to have some alone time with his Mum. Apparently she thought so too, because when all the laundry was done Ginny seemed to take much longer than necessary to re-organize the neatly folded heaps of clothes.

'It's so good of you to help me,' she said. 'There's lots of laundry when all of you are at home…'

'I suppose…' Albus said. He had placed himself on the table again.

'I really like Scorpius,' Mum said, and she sat down on a stool.

'Me too,' Albus smiled.

'Yeah, I figured that already…' Ginny said with a wink. 'I'm glad you found each other. He is both kind and thoughtful, and I can see that he cares a lot about you, and that you care about him.'

'I… I love him, Mum,' Albus said, and he didn't mind that he was blushing.

'I know you do,' his mother said with a smile. 'And I'm so pleased for your sake. I've wanted you to be happy for so long. It pained me to see how you were so unhappy last summer.'

'Thanks,' Albus said, and he hugged her again.

Albus had a knot in his stomach all day, though he tried carefully not to show it around Scorpius. Rose and Hugo were visiting, and Albus tried hard to laugh just as hard as anyone else about the jokes James was telling them as they played Exploding Snap and ate fudge.

'Anybody care for a game of Quidditch?' suggested Lily, looking around.

'Are you serious? Look how much it's snowing!' Albus tried, but no one else seemed to care about the weather. They decided that James, Rose and Hugo would be on one team and Scorpius, Jennifer and Lily on the other. Albus was happy to pass. He stood in the garden covered in warm winter clothes, trying to keep warm with a heating spell. It was snowing hard, and he could hardly see the game because of the snow. Luckily, the game didn't last long before James caught the Snitch. Lily thought that James had put on an annoying gloating smirk, and she threw a snowball at him. He threw one back, and then the snowball fight was in full swing.

Albus wasn't very keen on Quidditch, but he was not bad at snowball fights. He couldn't remember having a snowball fight this fun for several years. Scorpius hit him with a snowball on the back of his neck, and Albus hunted him across the snowy lawn, threatening to rub snow in his face. When he finally caught him they fell over in the snow. Albus fell on top of Scorpius, but instead of rubbing snow in Scorpius's flustered face, he kissed him. Scorpius kissed him back. Neither of them moved; they just remained there on the ground, kissing intensely, oblivious to the snowball fight still going on at the other end of the garden. They didn't mind the snowflakes that started to cover Albus's back and head, nor did they mind the cold creeping up from the ground through Scorpius's cloak. The only thing there was to care about was the warmth from each other, their lips, their teeth, their dancing tongues, and their heavy breathing.

'Hello there!'

Both Albus and Scorpius froze at the sound of Harry's voice.

'Eh… Hi, Dad!' Albus managed. Scorpius looked terrified and didn't even say hello. Albus felt embarrassed, but relaxed a little after he noticed the amused expression on his father's face.

'How was work?' Albus asked. He hoped that his father understood that the real question was: 'Did you speak to Mr Malfoy?'

'Good, I think,' Harry said, and he winked at Albus. 'I think I'll go in now. It's pretty cold and snowy, don't you think?'

Albus suddenly discovered that the others must have given up the snowball fight too, because the garden was empty now. They followed Harry into the house and joined the rest of the family, who were sitting in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate.

There were only a few days of the year left. This year had been the most eventful year in Albus's life so far – probably the best one, too. They were planning to spend New Year's Eve at Dominique's party. Albus didn't know exactly what his father had said to Mr Malfoy, but whatever he had said, it couldn't have been too bad, because the Malfoys' owl delivered another letter to Scorpius the day before New Year's Eve. Scorpius quickly read the letter and handed it over to Albus.

_Scorpius,_

_Your mother and I would like to talk to you. Please join us tomorrow at New Year's dinner. _

_Father_

Albus didn't know what to say. He didn't like the cold, formal tone of the letter, but then again, he didn't know how Mr Malfoy usually sounded in letters. He looked questioningly at Scorpius.

'So… Are you going to see them, then?' Albus asked.

'Only if you'll come with me,' Scorpius said pleadingly.

'I really don't think your father meant to invite me to their New Year's dinner…' Albus said.

'Probably not… But I can't face them alone. Please!' Scorpius said in a small voice.

'You don't have to. Of course I'll go with you, love.' Albus said, kissing his cheek.

'I'm going to write to them right away. I think we should tell them in advance that you'll be coming too… Also, we should tell them that we'll only stay for dinner. It's a good thing that we got Dominique's party later. I guess an awkward dinner is enough on its own, don't you think?'

Albus couldn't agree more, so he just hugged Scorpius. He felt his heart beat faster, and a lump formed again in his stomach.

'Merlin's beard… I feel so nervous!' he whispered.

Albus didn't sleep much the night before New Year's Eve. He twisted and turned, but whenever he got to sleep, he had a bad dream and woke up again. Albus tiptoed through the corridor to the guest room where Scorpius was sleeping. He slipped in under the blanket and nestled close to Scorpius. Albus felt himself relax immediately after inhaling Scorpius's scent, and he was able to doze off at last by listening to the other boy's calm breaths. The last conscious thought he had was that no matter how badly he wanted the Malfoys to understand and approve of them, the most important thing was for him and Scorpius to be together. He would be there for Scorpius and he would take care of him if things went wrong with his parents. They would be all right in the end.

When the morning came, Scorpius smiled at him and kissed him.

'I didn't sleep very well before you came here,' he yawned. 'I was having scary dreams about Father yelling and Mother crying… But I slept well after you arrived. I could really get used to this, you know.'

'Me too… I would love to wake up like this every morning,' Albus agreed. They spent some time together before getting up. Albus cast a few spells to guarantee their privacy, and the worries of the outside world ceased to exist. It was only the pair of them, their kisses, their hands, their mouths and their love. What did they care about anything else as long as they were together?

Later, when they finally thought it was time for a shower and breakfast, Albus found that he, much to his own surprise, didn't care the slightest about who might see him when he left Scorpius's room and went to the bathroom. There was no need for sneaking around, no need to pretend. He and Scorpius were in love and that was the only thing that truly mattered.

Albus's hands were sweaty and he felt his heart thumping. He had that distinct nauseous feeling one only can get from being tremendously nervous. They were in Diagon Alley, where they had bought some fancy chocolates for Scorpius's mother. Albus didn't even know that such expensive chocolate existed. Although his parents had money, they never bought luxuries like that. The thought of the Malfoy family's expensive and posh habits only added to his tension. He suddenly felt very unsure of himself and his appearance despite having dressed in his very best clothes. He looked at Scorpius beside him, who was smartly dressed and looking breathtaking in Albus's opinion. He looked equally nervous, though.

'Are you ready?' Scorpius asked, and he held out his arm.

'No,' Albus answered, but he took his arm anyway.

'Me either,' Scorpius said, and he Apparated them both to the road that led to the gates of Malfoy Manor.

'Merlin,' Albus said as they walked up towards the manor. 'What a house! It is enormous!'

'Well… Yeah, it probably is…' Scorpius admitted.

'You know what happened here during the war, don't you?' Albus whispered. Scorpius nodded.

'I've been told the story countless times…' Albus continued. 'It feels so weird to actually be here, and even weirder that this is where you grew up. This is where Dad and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were brought by the Snatchers and…'

'Er…' Scorpius said, looking uncomfortable. 'What can I say, really? I know that my family was on the wrong side during the war. I'm sorry…'

'Scorp! I didn't mean it like that!' Albus exclaimed. 'It's not your fault! You shouldn't be apologising.'

'I am sorry, and I'm ashamed of what my father and my grandparents did during the war.'

'Don't be,' Albus said, giving him a hug. 'Scorp, love, we're not our parents or our grandparents. You know that.'

'I know… Thanks,' Scorpius said, and he took Albus's hand.

They walked up to the entrance of the Manor together. Albus was going to let go of Scorpius's hand, but Scorpius clasped his hand firmly and intertwined their fingers as he introduced Albus to his parents. Mr Malfoy looked at their hands, making Albus feel uneasy. Scorpius, in contrast, looked straight at his father with a daring and cheeky look on his face. Mr Malfoy met his son's eyes and held them for a moment. Albus couldn't interpret Mr Malfoy's expression.

Mrs Malfoy smiled politely and led them through a huge corridor to the dining room. Albus felt out of place, but Scorpius smiled reassuringly at him and squeezed his hand. Scorpius looked much more at ease now. The conversation during the dinner was a bit strained and awkward, but everyone tried their best to keep it polite and neutral. A house-elf was serving the dinner, and Albus couldn't help but wonder what Aunt Hermione would have to say about that.

'So…' Scorpius's mother said. 'You're going to some New Year's party later, as I understand?'

'Yes, Albus's cousin Dominique Weasley invited us,' Scorpius answered.

Albus could have sworn that he heard Mr Malfoy muttering something under his breath about blood traitors, but he didn't say anything aloud.

'I hope you've been studying for your N.E.W.T. exams during the holidays,' Mrs Malfoy said, just to change the subject.

'Um… Sure,' Scorpius tried.

'You haven't, then,' Mr Malfoy stated. 'I don't think that I need to remind you of how important the N.E.W.T results are…'

'Look, there's plenty of time during the spring,' Scorpius said. 'Besides, we have been studying. Albus is going to become a Healer, you know, so he needs top grades. And I'm studying too, I promise.'

Albus knew that Scorpius, in fact, had hardly studied at all, but this was not the time to say anything about that. Scorpius had probably brought up Albus's grades just to divert his parents' focus from his own grades.

When Scorpius and Albus had said good-bye to Mr and Mrs Malfoy, and the front door had closed behind them, Albus sighed with relief. The dinner with Scorpius's parents had been easier than he had imagined. Although Mr Malfoy kept his distance, Mrs Malfoy had been quite nice to him, and Albus thought that he probably would grow to like her eventually. Scorpius gave his hand a squeeze as they started to walk towards the gate in the wall that surrounded Malfoy Manor.

As soon as they were outside the gate, Albus found himself pinned to the wall by Scorpius who kissed him forcefully. It was dark outside now, and it had started to snow again. Albus felt lightheaded and dizzy, maybe from the wine during dinner, maybe from the earlier tension, or maybe from the intense kissing. Then again, maybe it was from sheer happiness. He had everything he had ever wished for, and he was utterly happy. They were going to Dominique's party, but there was no hurry. They could stay like this forever, and yet it wouldn't be long enough.

Albus kissed Scorpius back, feeling confident that the new year would be just as fabulous as this one.


End file.
